A Completely Indecent Proposal
by AnotherAldebaran
Summary: The war is won. Now what? Hermione is struggling and accepts a completely indecent proposal from Severus which leads them on a path neither had expected. A story of healing after trauma. Takes place during the Trio's 7th year, AU from end of book 6 onwards, major character death implied. Complete - epilogue up!
1. Where The Streets Have No Name

General Disclaimer: All characters that you recognise belong to Joanne Rowling. No money is involved in writing this story, unfortunately.

This is most definitely an M rated fic for language and situations. There will be lemons so bring a citrus press and some sugar, but there will be long sections that are completely citrus free. Major character death described. SS/HG is the main focus with a couple of other non-canon relationships thrown in as well for good measure.

This takes place during the Trio's seventh year. Assume that everything through Book 5 happened as written; the HBP is sort-of followed minus the Unbreakable Vow and a certain confrontation at a high tower, details will be clarified in due course. The war was ended during the summer and they're now back in school.

Most everyone is slightly fucked up after the war and may be somewhat OOC after what they've been through, but I hope it will make sense. As such, certain situations and states of mind will be described that relate to trauma and violence among other things, and I won't put up chapter warnings. If you're someone who cares about trigger warnings, consider yourself warned and go read something else. This is a story of what-happens-after, once the war is won and you're supposed to live happily ever after.

By the way: If anyone is interested in beta'ing this story I'd be most grateful, please PM! It's all outlined and 75k words written but I want to make sure it stays coherent.

 **~x~x~x~**

 **Where The Streets Have No Name**

Severus Snape stalked the halls of Hogwarts one late Friday evening in September in a foul mood much like usual, blaming the fact that the day so far had been an unmitigated disaster ever since he got up in the morning awakened by a vicious headache. It started with Peeves tying the Headmistress' shoe laces to her chair, which had admittedly been rather funny apart from the fact that his smirk had earned him the honour of castigating the irrepressible poltergeist once Minerva had seen it, and after that the day had been full of cauldron messes, students trying to pass notes in class and one explosion caused by the current Longbottom wannabe, a fourth-year Hufflepuff boy.

The war had been won during the summer break, at the cost of several Aurors and Order members including Albus Dumbledore himself and Potter's ginger haired sidekick Mr Weasley. With the help of Draco Malfoy and later also his parents the Order had infiltrated Malfoy Manor and managed to kill several of the Inner Circle Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself, rather than trying to stage a large battle at Hogwarts or the Ministry which had been both Albus' and the Dark Lord's main goals. The plan had apparently been Weasley's idea, and the boy had managed to subvert most of the Order to his way of thinking, including Severus himself. The new term had seen the return of many students looking pale as ghosts, flinching at loud noises and angry at the world in general. Some of the staff was not much better off although most of them hadn't been affected by the fighting. He'd had to triple the amount of Calming Draught he brewed for the Infirmary.

The sound of panting and moaning of an undoubtedly sexual nature had him on alert as he rounded a corner to a well-known corridor lined with convenient nooks at regular intervals. Annoyance and slight disgust over wanton teenage displays warred with the thrill of the hunt as he honed in on the suspected alcove, making sure to move extra silently as he approached.

"Well well well, what have we here?"

A boy was leaning against the wall, panting, as his dick was sucked by a girl kneeling in front of him. He did recognise the brat, Nicholas Wentworth, a NEWT level Potions Ravenclaw student. The seventh-year boy hurriedly righted his clothes, a fierce red blush on his cheeks as he tucked his deflating prick into his pants.

"Fifty points from Ravenclaw, Mr Wentworth, and detention with Filch for a week. Now get lost." The boy ran off as fast as he could, not bothering to even look at the girl he abandoned.

The girl was still on her knees, facing away from him with her head bowed. No matter, he would recognise that ridiculous brown bushy hair anywhere.

"So, Miss Granger," he said, drawing out the sound of her name, "I did expect better of you as a Head Girl, paragon Gryffindor lioness and Brightest Witch of your Age. Are you aspiring for another title, perhaps? Or merely redefining the terms as _Head_ Girl?"

She rose and started buttoning her blouse that had been undone halfway, giving him a tantalising glimpse of a lacy white bra over smooth skin. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glared at him defiantly. He had noted that she belonged to the group of twitchy, fidgety students with hollow looks, alternating between numbness and anger. No wonder, given what she had done during the last few days of the campaign, and probably before that too.

He moved closer, standing directly behind her. She smelled of jasmine and neroli and arousal, and his cock twitched in response. A plan started to form in his mind. A reckless, completely crazy plan that went against everything he had upheld as a teacher. He really shouldn't act on it.

"Do you think I am stupid, Miss Granger?" he asked in a near whisper, his mouth close to her ear. She shook her head mutely. "That I would not find you? That I would think it an accident that you are found in my path with a boy like that, with no silencing charms and in a corridor you know I would frequent?"

"Sir, I…" she started but he interrupted her again.

"No. Don't bother. None of us has escaped unscathed from the war. I shall make you an offer, Miss Granger. Come with me."

He swept off, not bothering to see if she would follow, and soon heard her steps as she half ran to catch up with him. They walked in silence through the hallways and staircases down to his quarters. He opened the door, wards recognising his touch, and gestured for her to follow. She looked around the room with large eyes, taking in the perhaps surprising level of style and comfort compared to his office or classroom. The room was rather large, with an oval mahogany dining table just in front of the entrance door. As usual it was heaped with books, parchments and the odd Potions-related equipment since he didn't often use it for meals. He started a fire in the hearth with a nonverbal wave of his hand and moved to the middle of the room, taking off his teaching robes and banishing them to their hanger by the door. The walls were a warm beige wherever visible, but mahogany bookshelves lined nearly every wall. Over the dining table, a fake window showed a view of the lake and the forest behind it. He had a small kitchenette in an alcove on the other side of the table, rarely used apart from preparing the occasional cup of tea. At the other end of the room, across an intricately woven carpet in rich green, gold and blue, was the large hearth flanked by two comfortable armchairs and with a forest green velvet couch right in front of it. Two side tables laden with books and scraps of parchment stood next to the chairs, and the couch had a woollen throw blanket in a reasonably discreet Tartan pattern on one of the armrests, a Christmas gift from Minerva that he had reluctantly allowed after testing it one chilly Scottish winter evening. Along the same wall as the entrance door but towards the fireplace another door led down to his private lab, and across from it was the door to his bedroom.

She remained standing close to the door, wary of what he would suggest but probably itching to start investigating his extensive library if the covert glances she was casting in the direction of his bookshelves were any indication.

He turned to face her. "You are trying to feel something again, are you not? Something, anything? Is that why you are trying to get caught sucking off boys in the corridors? Were you planning on fucking him there too?"

She was blushing at his coarse language but still raised her chin defiantly. "Sir, I …" she began again before he silenced her with a raised hand and a stern glare.

"I have a suggestion for you, Miss Granger, to get this … _detention_ _…_ over with. A rather unique proposition, in fact, and one that may fulfil your exhibitionistic thrill-seeking tendencies to our … mutual … satisfaction."

He moved closer to her where she still stood by the door, circling to stand slightly behind her again by her right ear. She stiffened but didn't move away.

"If you agree to my suggestion, you will be free to leave and there will be no notices on your record, Miss Granger."

"What … what would you have me do, sir?" She turned her head slightly towards him, still wary but clearly intrigued.

"Strip for me," he whispered in her ear, carefully monitoring her reaction. He saw her eyes widen and heard her sharp intake of breath.

"But … but that's not allowed!" He noted with interest that her first reaction was not about his person or the grossness of the act but about the legalities. "You're a teacher, sir, and it's against the rules!"

"Indeed, Miss Granger. However, after the events culminating this past summer, I find myself rather disinclined to care about such things." She nodded slowly in response. "I will leave after this school year is done anyway, if I were asked to leave a few months early it would scarcely make much of a difference. I can assure you that no one will hear about this from me, so your own reputation is as safe as you make it."

"You're leaving, sir?" She turned around to face him with what he would call a worried frown, if only the notion that someone cared about him wasn't so absurd. "But what will you do?"

"I have yet to have that discussion with Minerva," he warned her, raising an eyebrow, "but I plan to start a potions research and brewing company to improve certain medicinal potions and to sell them to St Mungo's or various apothecaries."

"That sounds like a great idea, sir!" She actually smiled at him, a radiant smile. "I would say I'd be sad to see you go but since this is my last year as well it wouldn't make much of a difference."

"Oh?" He was surprised that anyone at all would miss him.

She nodded and seemed to be lost in thought, worrying her lower lip with her teeth before looking up at him again.

"I agree to your proposal," she said firmly and her gaze was suddenly full of a fire he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Is that so?" He felt the corner of his mouth rise and a responding fire was rising in his chest, probably reflecting in his own eyes. "Miss Granger, before either of us takes a step we shouldn't, I must inform you that I detest coercion and would never do something to you against your will. If you want to back out, at any stage, I will not stop you and you may grade essays instead. I have seen enough forced acts for several lifetimes. The door and Floo are already warded against intrusion but neither are warded against your exit. I will sit down over there and will not move from the chair." He indicated the chairs by the fireplace.

"I understand. I trust you, sir," she answered in a low voice to his surprise. _Trust me? Has anyone ever trusted me?_

He walked over to his favourite armchair and turned it to face the room rather than the fire before sitting down, careful to ensure that she was between him and the door so that she wouldn't feel trapped. She seemed to be composing herself, taking deep breaths to steady herself.

"Do you have any music, sir?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her as he waved his wand and a classical piece started playing, a clarinet concerto. She looked directly at him, seemingly surprised.

"Mozart, sir? Not Celestina Warbeck?"

"Wizarding music is utter tripe," he scoffed and she agreed with a slight laugh.

"At your convenience, Miss Granger."

His command brought her out of balance again. She hesitantly removed her outer robe and draped it over the other armchair. The Gryffindor coloured tie went next, leaving her in a slightly too large cardigan over the white shirt and grey pleated skirt.

"Move a little. And slow is good."

She took a few hesitant steps as she slowly unbuttoned her grey cardigan. Slowly she started to get into it, finding some confidence somewhere and losing a bit of the hesitancy. She started swaying her hips in time with the music and the fire was returning to her eyes as she pulled off the cardigan. He felt an answering bulge starting to rise in his trousers. It had been so long, too long, since any witch offered him something of themselves willingly and not paid for. He resolutely avoided thinking about the fact that this act was hardly Miss Granger's idea. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt while taking some swaying steps across the room. She was still clad from head to toe it was nevertheless erotic to watch her showing off and his cock twitched happily as she bent over, presenting a nice pert arse towards him even if it happened to still be clad in a skirt.

She rose again and moved closer to him, leaning down over his chair to present him with a view of her very nice looking cleavage. He stayed still so as to not scare her.

"Take it out, Professor," she said huskily, gesturing at his by now very obvious trouser bulge. "I want to see you touching yourself. I want to see the effect I have on you."

A surprised laugh escaped as he realised what she had said, and he fished out his erection from the confines of his trousers. She had turned away from him again and was now slowly, slowly pushing the skirt down over her nice pert bum, exposing a lacy set of knickers in bold burgundy. He groaned as the skirt fell to the floor and she slowly spun around for him. Bare thighs, burgundy lace barely showing under the hem of the shirt, primly stockinged feet in black flats. She started unbuttoning the rest of the shirt slowly, her gaze fixed on his cock. As he wrapped his hand around it and started stroking it he was surprised to see her pink tongue dart out, wetting her lower lip. Apparently he wasn't the only one affected by the situation. She pulled her eyes away from his cock and sought his and he could see the smouldering lust that undoubtedly mirrored his own.

She continued with the shirt, slowly and carefully unbuttoning it to display her pristinely white bra and creamy skin, marred only by the still purple scar she had received at the Ministry in her fifth year. She let the shirt fall slowly off her shoulders and spun around for him as she slowly pulled it off, her hair cascading down her back in unruly curls, the curve of her hips and buttocks becoming visible.

"Exquisite," he breathed, unaware that he had said it out loud until she turned her head towards him in response.

"Do you like what you see, Professor?"

"Do you doubt it?" He smirked at her, pointing at his raging erection with his free hand. She blushed and he considered that perhaps she wasn't as experienced as he had been led to believe. "You are stunning, Miss Granger. Not just your body, but your mind as well, and your passion and commitment. Whoever catches you will be a lucky wizard indeed."

"That's …" she stuttered, staring at him. She tried again. "That's not what I'm used to hearing, sir."

She had stilled and now stood in front of him, arms crossed over her belly, teeth worrying her lower lip again. Her large brown eyes were trained on his and it was as if she had forgotten where she was, what she was doing, in favour of their conversation.

"From the boys here in school?"

At her confirming nod he continued, "More fool they. You cannot expect these young dunderheads to comprehend you, to know what drives you. The thirst for knowledge, the need for a challenge is not something teenage boys with their heads full of Quidditch and girls will ever understand. But if someone like me can see and value that passion and drive that you have, surely there are others out there that will see the same."

Something sparked there in her eyes. She frowned at him.

"As they have for yourself, sir? How's that working for you? All that brilliance and power and intellect of yours and you're stuck in a boarding school, forever single?"

He frowned at her impertinence, the unfortunate correctness of that statement had stung, but before he could come up with a retort she seemed to collect herself again and the fire was back in her eyes. She slowly unfolded her arms and put her hands on her waist as she started swaying slightly, hips rolling sideways to the music. His cock twitched again when she slowly brought her hands up to her bra-clad breasts, fondling each of them through the fabric, and he pumped it harder in response. She smirked at him and his response and slowly slowly approached him again.

"Will you assist me with the clasp, sir?"

"It would be my pleasure to do so."

She turned her back to him and got down on one knee next to his chair, placing one hand, _oh Merlin she was voluntarily touching him,_ on his knee for support. He brushed her hair away from her shoulder gently and saw her shiver at his touch, before gently trailing his fingers down to the clasp of her bra and carefully undoing it. Her skin was soft and supple under his fingers and he longed to trace more of it with fingers and tongue but restrained himself, reluctantly pulling away from her. She rose again, but somehow managed to start the movement from her hips, keeping her head down and her hand still on his knee so that he got an eyeful of scantily clad butt cheeks. He could smell her arousal that had left a damp spot in her knickers and his cock somehow managed to swell even more at the sight. She lifted her head and took a few steps away from his chair as she turned around, hands still clasped around her breasts. They looked pert, just the right size for his hands. She twisted her nipples before letting one hand trail down her stomach to cup her sex through the fabric.

"You're about to see more of me than any man has," she whispered hoarsely before starting to pull her knickers down with one hand, one side at a time. She turned around as she slid the fabric down over her butt, crossing her legs as she turned, and when she had completed the lap she let the knickers drop to the floor. She stepped out of them, bent over again showing her bare arse and lower lips between her legs, and picked up the burgundy garment. She approached him and dropped them in his lap, eyeing his erection. He caught them and brought them to his nose, enjoying her scent.

"May I touch you, sir?" she whispered.

He stared up at her, incredulous.

"Are you sure? I am all yours if you want to but please don't feel like you have to."

"I want to," she said and dropped to her knees in front of him, staring intently at the tip of his erection. He removed his hand from his member and put both hands on the armrests of the chair, giving her as much access as she could ever want. Hesitantly she brought her hand to his cock and touched the silky skin. He couldn't help but to groan at the touch as she clasped her small hand around it.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" She looked up at him with large eyes and stilled her hand.

"On the contrary," he answered, eyes closed, "I think a whole geological age has passed since anyone voluntarily touched me."

"Oh," came the soft reply, half a sigh, and she started moving her hand over his shaft. The touch was a bit too light and slow for his tastes but he revelled in the feeling of someone else's hand upon him and given the circumstances he was rather glad for the fact that she wasn't pushing him over the edge too fast, giving him more time to savour it. She looked up at him, resting her elbows on his thighs and he could see the round swell of her breasts between his legs.

"I think we are rather similar in that regard, you and I," the young witch whispered, "you're also passionate and loyal and don't suffer fools gladly. Don't you miss having someone to share it all with? Someone who knows what it's like when you get so immersed in research that you forget to eat, or when you have to rush up in the middle of the night to chase a train of thought? Someone who understands what happened during the war and why sometimes the ghosts get too loud for reality to seep through? Someone to debate the latest research with, and to take a differing standpoint with just on principle? Someone who understands your interests and wants to share your books?"

Before he could think of how to formulate a reply, because of course she was right again, she had scooted closer to him and lowered her mouth over him, first teasing him with her lips, pulling them across his shaft and the tip, before her tongue darted out and she started tracing the ridges and grooves of him. His eyes fluttered shut of their own volition as she engulfed him in her mouth.

"Oh, Hermione …" he groaned, completely unable to form coherent sentences. He felt her smile against his cock as she started sucking him, using one hand on the shaft. The other hand soon found his balls. His hips started rocking against her involuntarily and he held on to the armrests as if his life depended on it. The sight that met him when he opened his eyes of her head bobbing over his cock was enough to send him soaring over the edge but his barely coherent warning was unheeded as she just sucked him harder, her hand helping out, and as he came undone with a muffled shout he felt her following his movements, coaxing out the last drops.

He slumped back in the chair, utterly spent, eyes closed as his breathing evened out again. As he felt her move he reluctantly opened his eyes and looked down at her still naked form and his limp wet cock laying across the black fabric of his trousers. The sight was rather absurd since he was still fully clothed.

"Thank you," he murmured. "That was more than I would ever have the right to expect."

"My pleasure, Professor," she said with an impish smile as she wiped his cum from her mouth with the back of her hand. He huffed a laugh at the absurd impropriety of the situation, and tucked his sated and deflating member back in his pants.

"It is Severus, Miss Granger. Only fair considered that your mouth was just on my cock."

"As long as you call me Hermione. Otherwise it feels as if I'm twelve and that seems a bit wrong, doesn't it?"

"You are definitely not that, luckily."

He leaned forward, towards her, and gently traced her cheek with his fingers.

"Would you allow me to return the favour, Hermione?" he murmured. "It would be my absolute honour to bring you as much pleasure as you have just given me."

"Oh …" She stared at him wide-eyed and bit her lower lip again. "You don't have to do that, you know. It doesn't seem like something guys want to do?"

"Hermione, do not get me wrong, I'm not asking just out of the goodness of my heart. In fact it would bring me considerable pleasure to know I could do for you what you just did for me. The boys you may have encountered so far have no understanding of the fact that the greatest pleasure is in giving. I would want to touch you, to learn all your secret spots that make you shudder, to make you come undone screaming my name. If you are amenable? Again, you can leave anytime you like and just because you say yes at one point does not mean you have to go through with it. Do you understand?"

"Show me, then, Severus," she whispered, her eyes half shut already. Slowly he moved closer to her, gently capturing her lips in a chaste kiss before rising and pulling her to her feet. He scooped her up in his arms to her apparent surprise and strode towards the bedroom.

"I am an old man, Hermione, so I would rather play in the bedroom than in a chair. The door is unlocked and again, you can leave anytime."

She nodded and put her arms around his neck as he opened the doors with magic since his hands were otherwise occupied.

"Oh," she sighed at the sight of his bed where he deposited her neatly in the middle of the bed. The covers were half undone and she quickly scuttled under them as he lit a few of the wall sconces. The room was dominated by the large mahogany four-poster bed with rich green covers. On either side he had a matching nightstand, both of them laden with books in various stages of reading. The wall next to the bed nearest to the door to his sitting room was taken up by his wardrobe, and on the other side he had a smaller hearth, not connected to the Floo network. Next to the hearth towards the head end of the bed he had another set of shelves with some books and personal items, and between the entrance door and the other door leading to the bathroom was a drawer with some crystal sculptures he had received from Lucius some time back. A very fluffy light grey rug covered most of the floor between the bed and the bathroom.

"Could you please get rid of some clothes first?" she asked him shyly. She was still clad in socks but she must have kicked off her shoes at some point during that glorious blowjob. The sight of her clad only in stockings was surprisingly erotic and his cock twitched again although it didn't have the energy to inflate again yet.

He quickly unbuttoned his frock coat and deposited it on a hanger before removing his boots and socks. His trousers were still not buttoned and he opted for dropping them on the floor, leaving the silk boxers on along with his white shirt.

"The shirt too, please." He quickly divested himself of that too before approaching the bed slowly and lowering himself next to her.

"May I touch you?"

She nodded nervously. As his hand approached her stomach he saw her tense up, and he changed trajectory and gently stroked her arm instead.

"Relax, Hermione," he murmured.

"Talk to me, please."

"Roll over to your stomach. You are tense, may I rub your back?"

She nodded and he Summoned a bottle of almond oil from the bathroom and straddled her upper thighs, careful not to get too close to her arse which did look absolutely glorious from that vantage point.

"Talk, you ask of me," he mused as he started stroking her back. She sighed and pushed her hair out of the way before settling into his pillows again.

"Do you have any research projects you are currently working on?" she asked half muffled by the pillow.

"Indeed I do, little witch. Several at various stages of completion but at the moment I am primarily working on a curse scar remedy which looks promising so far, and I am also trying to research a mind-healing potion."

"Oh?" she asked, lifting her head to try to look at him. "Did you read the latest article in Potions Monthly on calendula balm?"

He barked a laugh. "Read it? Do you happen to remember the author's name?"

"A. Prince, why?" she said confused before realisation dawned and she shot him a brilliant smile over her shoulder. "But why the pseudonym?"

He shrugged. "It was a minor article and it is rather fun to later write a contradictory letter calling the first one a hypocritical idiot, upon which people will come out of the woodwork to defend his writing, which would never happen if they knew it was me."

She laughed then, a deep belly laugh.

"Enough of that, as interesting as it may be that topic will do nothing to relax you."

"You could read me the phone catalogue and it would be enthralling, sir," she said indistinctly.

"I would rather catalogue you than phone numbers," he answered silkily as he focused on her neck muscles. They were starting to warm under his hands, becoming slick from the oil and slightly flushed with the increased blood flow.

"Ohhhhh you're good. If you ever needed a Muggle job you could take up massaging people."

"There aren't very many I'd like to lay my hands on. But you are soft and warm and beautiful. So strong and passionate and wild."

He found several knots in her upper back and managed to loosen them a bit, enjoying the feeling of her skin slick with oil gliding under his fingers.

"Tell me, Hermione, did I guess correctly? Regarding why I found you where I did tonight?"

He felt her breath hitch under his palms and waited quietly for her to answer.

"Yes," she admitted finally. "Ever since the war I haven't been able to feel anything. I'm numb, as if I'm in a bubble, no emotions can get through. I try to sleep but wake up to Ron's screams as he dies by my feet or I turn a corner here in the castle but all of a sudden I'm back in the Manor and stalked by Bellatrix or someone laughs too loudly and I panic and think Lucius has betrayed us. I try to eat but can't feel any taste. I think of death, jumping from a tower, poison, knives, the lake, and sometimes as I do something completely ordinary I get the feeling that I should just kill myself instead to get it all over with." She took a deep breath and continued, "Everyone also always assume that Ron and I would have ended up together for some reason, but both Ron and I had realised that it would have been a very bad idea. We did snog a little last spring but nothing more than that. So I get pitied as if I'm mourning my fiancé and I can't tell them it's Lavender who is doing that."

"I'm glad you realised that, the pair of you together is a laughable idea. He would have needed someone who could look up to him and play housewife for him and that role would not suit you. Mr Weasley did well, he did have a good mind for strategy."

She nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," she murmured against the pillow, tears running unchecked along her nose. "So anyway I wanted to see if sex could drive away this maddening numbness for a little while and approached Nicholas since he's reasonably good looking and has a decent reputation, but you caught us and well here we are."

"Was that your first meeting?" He was a bit surprised to hear her reasoning.

"Yes and I doubt there'll be any follow-up encounters."

"Good," he said with a smirk before realising what he had said. He could have no claims to this witch but his possessive side didn't quite agree and he had felt a stab of jealousy over her mentions of other boys.

"Regarding your feelings after the war unfortunately I think that is one area that the wizarding world is lacking in skills, but they are perfectly understandable and not in any way abnormal given the situation. I may have some potions that could help but otherwise you will need to talk it through with people that won't judge you. If you are amenable we could try viewing some events in a Pensieve or use Legilimency as I suspect it might help to revisit some of the memories to cut their anchors with the present. You need to let your mind realise that whatever happened, all of it, has already happened and that you are safe now in the present." He heard her breath hitch again. "Please promise me one thing, Hermione. If you ever have the urge to act on those thoughts, please call for me. I will come for you no matter when it is or where you are. I have been there too, I speak from experience."

Her shoulders were shaking with silent sobs and she had buried her head in his pillow. He slipped off her legs and lay down next to her again, pulling her back tight against his chest despite the covers between them and snaking his right arm under her head.

"You're safe now," he murmured in her hair as she cried silently, wetting his arm and the pillow. She clung to his other arm, accepting his touch in a way that felt both completely right and utterly alien. He tried not to think about the fact that his hand was nestled between her breasts.

After quite some time she calmed down and he felt her breath evening out. He summoned his discarded shirt and held it up to her.

"The bathroom is through there." He waved vaguely in the direction of the door in question which was just off his bedroom. "If you need it."

She nodded and slipped out of the bed, pulling on his shirt as she went. It looked ridiculously big on her but in a rather endearing way, reaching down to mid-thigh. His possessive alter ego thought she looked just right dressed in his clothes, but he forced the thoughts down again. _Not mine,_ he chided himself reluctantly.

After a long fifteen minutes or so the bathroom door opened again and she tentatively stepped closer to the bed.

"Does the offer still stand, Professor?" she asked with some of her usual cheek.

He smirked at the look of her standing barefoot and practically naked by his bed, clad in only his half buttoned white shirt. She seemed to have untangled her hair somewhat, washed her face and he suspected she had brushed her teeth with something as well, being a dentist's daughter and all.

"It would be my honour and pleasure to show you what you are capable of feeling, Hermione."

His deliberately smooth tone caused her to blush again and dive down under the covers, still dressed in his shirt.

He leaned across the bed and brought her hand to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on the top, letting his tongue snake out briefly to touch her. He then flipped her hand over and placed another kiss in her palm, savouring the softness and taste of her. He sought her eyes and saw that she was starting to respond to his touch, heat starting to rise in them. Slowly he pushed the arm of the shirt up over her elbow, tracing the veins on her arm as he did so. He lowered his head to her hand again and pulled her ring finger into his mouth, encircling it with his tongue, sucking on it as she had his cock earlier. He licked the length of it before releasing the now rather wetter finger.

"Tell me what you like and what you dislike."

"I … I don't know, sir."

"Severus, remember? In that case, I shall tell you what I plan to do to you, witch, and you shall stop me if anything feels wrong."

He moved slightly closer to her and pushed the covers off, leaving her in his shirt.

"I plan to kiss and taste and stroke every inch of your delectable body that I can reach without removing that shirt," he began, keeping his voice low and silky. "I will plant kisses in the crook of your elbow, along your hairline and neck. I will nibble your earlobe and make your leg feel cold. I will move down to said leg and slowly pull off these silly stockings, kissing the back of your knees before I move down your leg to your dainty feet that need extra attention and lots of tongue." He moved closer and started tracing her other arm with his fingers, pushing the shirt up on that arm as well. "I will ensure that both sides are adequately covered, naturally. Then when you are begging me to please touch your breasts I will slowly unbutton your shirt — pardon, my shirt — and trace a path along your belly with kisses before planting my mouth on your lovely breasts."

She was breathing heavily already, he noted with a smirk.

"I will tell you the rest later, witch, but I think I have a job to do now."

Her hands and arms were catalogued carefully up to and including her elbows. He nibbled at her pulse point and licked the crook of her elbow, causing her to moan. His cock was starting to wake up again but he ignored it.

"Just relax, little witch," he whispered as he moved up to her neck, tracing a path with his lips against her smooth skin from just below her ear down to her clavicles and up the other side, careful not to touch her too much otherwise. She had her eyes closed and her hand was tracing the arm he was supporting himself on, along his triceps and up to his shoulder. Such an innocent touch, but that too had been a long time since he had last experienced it, and he relished in the sensation while breathing in the scent of her hair and tickling her earlobe with his lips. His reverie was broken by her sudden gasp and his eyes flew open in askance, seeking hers.

"My leg does feel cold now!"

She blushed as he smirked.

"Indeed. What about now?" and he started nibbling her earlobe gently. She moaned and her other hand flew up to his neck, threading through his hair. His scalp tingled at her touch.

"Oh yes," she said but his try at snaking his tongue into her ear was vetoed.

"Very good, Hermione."

He kissed her forehead. He had neither planned on nor expected any regular kissing but suddenly the arm around his neck directed his head down so that she could claim his lips with hers, insistently requesting access by pushing her tongue against his lips. He lost himself completely in the sweetness of her mouth and his cock was most definitely happy again.

"I could kiss you for months," he said raggedly as he came up for air, his heartbeat roaring in his ears. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been kissed by someone with such abandon.

"I might just let you," she said with an impish smile and pulled him down again to dock his mouth to hers. He groaned in response to her hands tangling in his hair and the feeling of her breasts pressed against his chest. _Bliss,_ his inner alter ego happily stated and he could only agree.

"You are a distraction, witch," he chided when he next was released from her firm grasp on his neck. "I have a job to do, remember?"

Before she could complain he scooted down the bed to place a chaste kiss on each of her kneecaps. In the order of efficiency he opted for a simultaneous attack on both stockings at the same time, slowly pulling them down while placing alternating kisses along each part of revealed calf and ankle. She had spread her legs already, probably involuntarily, and he could smell her arousal quite clearly.

He rolled the sock off her foot and carefully lifted it for better access, tracing the lines of her bones from the top down to the toes. He nibbled one of her small toes which earned him another moan, but licking the thin skin between her toes was nixed as was touching the sole of her foot, although he did get to kiss her arch.

"Now, where were we? Do you want me to touch more of you, little witch?"

"Please, Severus."

"Please what, little witch? Where do you want me to touch you?" he enquired, seeing the fierce blush spreading across her cheeks and down her neck.

"Everywhere, Severus," she whispered. "Anywhere."

"Your wish is my command, my lady. My pleasure."

He moved up and slowly, slowly unbuttoned his shirt and helped her out of it, casting it aside. She lay back down on his bed, squirming under his heated gaze.

"You are stunning, Hermione," he whispered. Before he could do anything else she caught him again, pulling him down for another kiss. The feeling of his bare chest against hers made both of them hum in approval and his free hand started tracing her side and upper arm.

"I plan to kiss your shoulders, little witch, and your collar bones and your armpits. After that I think I will be unable to resist your perfect breasts any longer and I will lavish them equally in kisses and attention. Then I shall make my way down to your belly button before detouring to your hip bone and the outside of your hips. I plan to come back up again along the inside of your thighs, slowly inching closer as you beg me to please touch you, until I finally get to pet that delicious cunt you have there, and to taste if your juices are as sweet as they smell."

"Yes, Severus, please," she said breathlessly and pulled him in for another greedy kiss.

"And then I'll make you come so hard you forget your own name as you scream mine, witch," he growled and she gasped as he swiftly moved down her neck, planting a deep hickey just above her shoulder. He pulled her arm up and nuzzled her armpit, clean-shaven and with a scent that was pure Hermione, heady and sweet.

"Please," she begged him and pushed her chest towards his mouth. Not being one to turn down a clear invitation his free hand gently clasped one of her breasts as his mouth sought the other, kissing and kneading them both. He placed greedy kisses along the underside before honing in on the nipple, gently nibbling and suckling it. Judging by her gasps and the way she writhed under him she was rather enjoying his work. Releasing the nipple he had captured in his mouth he shifted across her body to let the other hand play with the recently kissed breast and lavishing the other one with an equal amount of attention. They were absolutely perfect, both for his hands and for his mouth.

"Severus," she moaned. "Please."

He looked up at her, having to let go of that glorious nipple. "What, little witch? Did you want something? I am a rather busy man, you know."

"Touch me!" Her cheeks were blazing red from both arousal and embarrassment but she met his eyes impatiently.

He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking. "I thought I was? Did you want me to touch you … somewhere else?"

"Yess," she hissed and spread her legs further apart.

"Do you want my fingers in your pretty little cunt, perhaps?" he asked, drawing out the word.

"Oh yes, please," she breathed.

"And my tongue?"

"You're being evil on purpose! Yes and yes! Please!" She glared at him but the effect was somewhat ruined by her clouded gaze, flushed cheeks and fast breathing.

"Why didn't you just say so?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow and scooted down lower, kissing her belly button and hips, letting his hands roam as they wanted over her silky skin.

Her breath caught as his fingers roamed across her inner thigh, followed by his lips on the other leg, and she spread her legs as far as she could. He settled in comfortably between them, half resting his head on her thigh as the other hand slowly started touching her pubic hair and her outer lips. She moaned and her hips twitched as he touched her. His inner alter ego felt incredibly smug at provoking such a reaction from her. Slowly, gently, carefully he stroked her open, feeling the slick wetness spread over his fingers. He found her little nub, eliciting another moan from her.

"Show me how you touch yourself," he whispered and she reached a hand down over his, guiding him to the pace and pressure she preferred, before he took over the job, causing her to groan and buck against his hand. She was so open, so responsive, so uninhibited.

"Very good, little witch. Now let me taste you." She shivered in anticipation as he slowly lowered his mouth over her, tasting her for the first time. Sweet and sticky and perfect and as he licked her for the first time she cried out in astonishment.

"You taste divine, my little witch." He pushed a finger inside, causing her to cry out and buck against his mouth. This too had been absent from his life for way too long, a witch under his mouth, under his hands, to unravel and catch as she exploded. He set a slow but steady rhythm and as he felt her relax against his finger he slowly added a second one.

"Oh," she breathed at the sudden intrusion.

"Alright?" he asked her, somewhat indistinctly due to the fact that he was still buried in her rather lovely pussy.

"Very, just … full."

"Now, witch, I intend to make you come undone," he purred and got to work. He set a steady rhythm with his fingers and listened to her reactions as he sucked, nibbled and licked her closer and closer to ecstasy.

"Let go, Hermione. Let yourself go. I will catch you."

She started panting and twisting her hands into his hair. He increased the pace and soon she threw her head back, tensing and shuddering.

"Sev… russ!" she moaned and he could feel her twitching internally, strong muscles squeezing his fingers. He let her ride it out before slowly withdrawing his mouth and fingers as she slumped back down, completely spent.

He moved up to lie down beside her again and she pulled him down for another intense kiss, heedless of her own juices on his mouth and face.

"Thank you," she murmured sleepily against his cheek. "I didn't think it could be like that."

"I told you, it was most definitely my pleasure."

He felt rather pleased with himself for making her come like that. Summoning the covers, he tucked her in with a kiss to her forehead before sneaking off to the bathroom. He had nearly shot his load in his pants like a teenager just from her reactions to him and the way she cried his name when she came, and it was short work in the shower before he felt the tingling in his balls and shot his seed on the wall to be washed down the drain.

After sorting himself out he padded back into his bedroom and crept up next to her, not bothering with any nightclothes apart from a fresh pair of black silk pants. She sighed but didn't wake as he shuffled in behind her, pulling her back up towards his chest. She fit snugly in the contours of his body, as if she was made for it. He fell asleep quickly, nose and arms full of witch.

The next morning they were woken up by Winky who told them hurriedly that Missy Head Girl needed to go back to her dorm, pronto, as the Headmistress was on her way. Hermione was still almost asleep when the elf whisked her away, sending her clothes along after her. Despite not having slept for quite long enough, he felt inordinately well rested and pleased with himself.


	2. Epiphany

**Epiphany**

Hermione felt happily disoriented as she was ushered into her dorm by Winky who kept up a running commentary about Missy Head Girl missing breakfast and the Headmistress coming to investigate. She had made it into her pyjamas with two minutes to spare and somehow managed to confound Professor McGonagall into thinking that she had come down with something but that she would try to see if she felt better by lunchtime. Being Head Girl she had a private room with an en-suite bathroom, sharing a large common room with the Head Boy. She loved her quarters, both for the privacy after six years of sharing a dorm room with the other Gryffindor girls but especially for the luxurious private bathroom, with its green marble tub and huge vanity cabinet.

"Thank you, Winky," she said once Professor McGonagall had left, exhaling a shaky breath.

The elf drew herself up to her full diminutive height and regarded her with large eyes. "Winky helps Master of Potions. Winky hopes that if Winky serves Master of Potions well, Master of Potions accepts bond with Winky. If Missy Head Girl is friends with Master of Potions, Winky helps Missy Head Girl."

"Oh," Hermione said uneasily. She had given up trying to make the elves see the light and seek freedom, but she still wasn't very comfortable with the way elves accepted their servitude.

She went off to the bathroom, discarding her pyjamas, and tried to make sense of the last twelve or so hours. Of all the things she had expected as a consequence of her plan the last evening, spending the night in the Potions Master's bed after stripping for him, giving him a blowjob and having him make her come with those long talented fingers of his, not to mention his deliciously wicked tongue, would never have made the list. Sleeping the whole night without nightmares was also rather unexpected, come to think of it.

She stepped into the shower and noticed that the git had left her a hickey near her shoulder.

A long shower and some fresh clothes later and she felt fit to face the day.

"Where were you last night, Granger?" the Head Boy asked as she stepped into their shared common room. "And this morning, come to speak of it?" He was lounging in the sofa, reading a Charms text. He spent most of his spare time in their quarters, studying or reading something else. Crookshanks was lazily sprawled on the fluffy carpet in front of the fireplace, and she went over to pet him. He ignored her as he most often did.

"None of your business, Malfoy."

"It is when your friends come looking for you and you don't leave a forwarding address." He frowned at her over his book.

"Oh? Who was it?"

"The Weaselette."

"When did she come here? What did she want?"

"How should I know? It's not like she would deign to talk to me!"

The venom in his voice gave her pause. Draco Malfoy was a pariah with basically the whole school after his failed attempt at killing Dumbledore at the end of their sixth year, when he brought the Death Eaters into the school. Not many of the other students knew of his involvement with helping to destroy Lord Voldemort during the summer, but everyone had heard of his actions during the previous year. She suspected that he had been made Head Boy not so much for his academic achievements but rather for his own protection.

"Right. Thanks for telling me, I'll try to catch up with her."

Her civil tone caused him to look up at her with a frown before returning to his reading, obviously dismissing her. She shrugged and went off in search of Ginny.

After some careful questioning of portraits and other students she managed to find Ginny still holed up in her dorm, still in her pyjamas under the covers. The room was dim with curtains drawn against the sharp September sunlight.

"Hello Ginny."

"Hi."

"Have you had breakfast?" Hermione asked even though the answer was rather obviously no. "Come on, get dressed and let's go down to the lake. It's sunny for a change."

"Not hungry," came the mumbled reply but she rose from the bed anyway, slowly, when Hermione started digging through her chest of drawers for clothes.

Hermione asked Dobby for a basket of food for a picnic which the elf eagerly provided before they made their way outside. It was really a rather gorgeous day, she was surprised to find. It had been so long since she noticed things like that, most of the summer had passed her by in either a frantic haze or in complete numbness. The leaves had not yet started turning but the air had the crispness of autumn.

Ginny was quiet until they had made it halfway around the lake to a nice small meadow in a forest clearing just off the path. Hermione Transfigured a leaf into a large woollen blanket and started unpacking the basket that Dobby had given them. The elf had outdone himself and seemed to have packed two of just about everything they had in the kitchen that he thought they would like. She tossed Ginny a lemon curd muffin and poured her some tea to go with it to get her started before digging in herself, ravenous after her missed breakfast and nightly activities.

With unusual tact Hermione decided to let Ginny talk when she felt like it. She had things of her own to ponder anyway and didn't much feel like spilling her guts to Ginny before she knew for herself how she felt about everything. Severus Snape, she mused. Her taciturn teacher had been on her mind as a constant presence for at least half a year, ever since she'd started noticing him in Defence class after she and Ron had decided they weren't fit to be a couple. The way he moved, all fluid grace and efficiency, his powerful magic and solid, unwavering tenacious strength. His voice, his hands with those long slender fingers. She had been uncertain of his loyalties during one horrible week after the confusion at the Astronomy tower, but his actions during the summer had clearly shown what his aims were. And truth to be told, he had been completely correct in what she had sought with Nicholas. She'd wanted to be found, even if she hadn't admitted it to herself. And she'd wanted to be found by him. _What if it had been Professor McGonagall, or Filch?_ The thought made her shudder.

"I miss him," Ginny mumbled and looked out over the lake forlornly, taking a bite of a salmon wrap.

"Ron?" Hermione was a bit startled by the younger witch's sudden exclamation, wrenching her back to the present.

"Yes. No. Of course. Ron. And Harry."

"Harry? What about him?"

Ginny shot her an incredulous look. "Haven't you noticed? He's gone off his rocker completely. He snaps at everyone and broke up with me by letting me find him fucking Lavender in his bed."

Hermione gasped. "What?! I'm so sorry Ginny. I'll kill him!"

Ginny snorted a laugh. "You never noticed, did you? Don't worry, he's moved on to a Ravenclaw last I heard. Or was it a Hufflepuff?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I should have noticed." She felt a bit embarrassed not to have noticed anything, but since she didn't live in the Gryffindor tower anymore she rarely caught any gossip. This did go a bit beyond gossip, however.

Ginny studied her closely. "I guess we're all a bit screwed up after this war, huh? How are you holding up after Ron?"

Hermione busied herself with filling up her glass with pumpkin juice before answering, trying to sort out her thoughts. "Ron and I weren't a couple. Everyone seems to think we were together but we decided last spring that we were better off as just friends. We were just too different to work out, you know, romantically. He went back to Lavender at the end of term actually and they were really good together. Of course I miss him, he was one of my best friends and he ought to be here with us now."

Ginny nodded slowly. "Ah, I see. I guess you weren't the only one not noticing things then, huh?"

"I think we're all excused."

Ginny handed her a slice of cheesecake and they continued to check out what Dobby had brought them, for once simply content with existing. The lake glittered in the sunlight and the Giant Squid created waves by splashing a large tentacle in the water.

As they made their way back to the castle Ginny seemed to have come back to life somewhat, talking more animatedly about something Quidditch related. Hermione found her thoughts wandering back to Professor Snape and last night as she interjected enthusiastic noises whenever it seemed appropriate. _No. Severus. Last night was most definitely Severus._

Suddenly she found that Ginny had stopped walking and was looking at her intently. That girl had always been to sharp for her own good.

"Hermione, what is it? Boy trouble? You're even more distracted than usual when I talk Quidditch and you were smiling for yourself. Spill!"

Hermione blushed scarlet. "No, it's nothing!"

"Yeah right, and my name is Beedle the Bard! Details, missy!" She'd crossed her arms in front of her.

Hermione knew that Ginny was relentless once she got wind of something interesting. "Stop it, Ginny! Alright I'll tell you some. Yes it's about a boy, no it's not trouble yet, yes something happened, no I don't know if it will lead to anything."

"Awww, you're no fun! Did you kiss? Was it good?"

"Yes and yes," Hermione said and blushed again. "And that's all I will say. It's too early, I don't know what to think yet and I don't want to ruin it, whatever it is."

Ginny grinned at her. "Fine, I know what you're like. As long as you tell me first when you feel like talking."

"Of course, Ginny," Hermione agreed. Not like she had many others to choose from, anyway.

They hugged before parting ways in front of the stairs. Ginny was going to see if the Quidditch team was practising while Hermione was planning to head to the library. They'd missed lunch but Dobby's enthusiasm had more than made up for it.

"Thanks for dragging me out today," Ginny whispered.

"Anytime, I needed this too," Hermione replied quietly.

After some hours revising Transfiguration and Charms in the library she made it to the Hall in time for dinner and took a seat next to Ginny. The Headmistress sought her gaze with a slightly pinched expression, either disapproving her missing from lunch or worried about something, and Professor Snape looked as thunderously impassive as always. He shot her an almost pained look before ignoring her resolutely.

She had rounds together with a new fifth-year Ravenclaw prefect named Heather Lochlear later in the evening, and she showed the younger girl several hideouts and popular snogging spots. They managed to flush out a couple of Gryffindors, a Hufflepuff-Slytherin couple and two third-year Gryffindor boys who were trying to make Peeves do something he undoubtedly shouldn't. Hermione was rather annoyed at having to deduct points from her own House, and sent them all packing with stern promises that they would be sent to Filch if they were spotted again.

When she finally made it back to her bedroom she found one long-stemmed black rose on her bed covers, along with a sealed parchment. She approached it cautiously, quite certain of who sent it but not why.

" _My apologies,"_ the note read. No signature.


	3. Regret, Remorse, Redress?

**Regret, Remorse, Redress?**

Severus Snape hated Sundays. Mainly because they were inevitably followed by Mondays, when the whole wretched cycle started again. To make matters worse, he had slept atrociously the night before and his headache was back. He was currently working in his dark and gloomy office since he had office hours for another half hour, as confirmed by a Tempus charm. He sighed over the stack of essays he was currently grading and the complete butchery that his second-year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students managed to make of the Queen's English.

He had been utterly useless the whole Saturday, thus leaving him a larger pile of essays than usual for Sunday. His initial sense of elation at waking up next to a warm young witch had soon faded and left a hollow emptiness behind, gradually replaced in turn with disgust, despair and self-loathing, accentuated by Minerva's pinched frowns as he arrived in the Great Hall for lunch. Even though he wasn't required to attend every meal in the Hall, she strongly wished for him to do so and was not happy with him missing breakfast. To make matters worse, she had also tried to ask him for his opinion of Miss Granger and what reason she could possibly have for missing both breakfast and lunch in the Hall, causing him to notice her absence and immediately wonder if it was related to him. Was she upset with what had happened between them? She should be, he had acted completely out of line. He was twice her age and her teacher, after all, he had no business whatsoever in trying to seduce a student and for her to sleep in his bed afterwards. That was one line he had never crossed in all his years as a teacher. Not once had he behaved inappropriately with any student, he had never even been tempted even though some of the seventh-year girls occasionally tried to get him to notice them as being female and not only as students. He would just snarl at them, dock points and occasionally send them to Filch for detention, or have them dissect slugs or something equally nasty until they went back to their usual fearful whimpering.

He was startled from his reverie by a knock on the door. That basically never happened, office hours or not, as students were generally too wary of him to ask for help or clarifications.

"Enter," he barked and waved the door open.

Miss Granger entered, bushy hair and all. Of course it would be her. She wore her school robes over a simple cream Muggle cardigan and jeans, what with it being Sunday and all. The ensemble nicely accentuated her curves, not that he looked, of course, and he scowled as he wrenched his eyes back up to meet hers. She bit her lip and looked nervous and determined at the same time in that brazen Gryffindor way, clearly having made up her mind about something.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" he sneered as she seated herself in one of the purposefully uncomfortable visitor chairs opposite his desk.

"I got your note, Sir."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You got a note, you say? How lovely. Will you kindly remove yourself from my presence so that I can get my work done?"

"Stop being difficult!" she said with some heat, arms crossed in front of her, accentuating her pert breasts. "You know as well as I what happened Friday night. I just wanted to let you know that I don't regret it. In fact, I haven't slept that well for at least half a year. I don't regret that it was you, either."

He looked at her again, somewhat surprised by her outburst. His inner Slytherin was happily chanting _I told you so, I told you so_ , but he suppressed it.

"Whatever happened between us, Miss Granger, was no more than a mistake. You are a student under my care, and never in my teaching career have I been tempted to … dally with students."

"Why did you do it, then? Sir," she shot back at him, the title added on somewhat as an afterthought.

He glared at her but couldn't formulate a reply even to himself. It was clear that she noticed, her nervous dejection slowly giving way to something akin to triumph.

"The door is that way, Miss Granger," he eventually said. "Please see yourself out so that I can return to these atrocities that are second-year Potions essays."

He knew it was childish but nonetheless he studiously ignored her, taking the next essay from the pile and starting to correct it with liberal slashes of red ink.

He was nearly done with the essay when he heard her shift in her chair, pulling it closer to the desk and summoning the next essay in the pile. She rifled in her bag for a quill and soon started scribbling. When the finished essay landed in his "done" pile he snatched it up and was surprised to see that she had emulated both his handwriting, the red ink and his typical scathing comments. He didn't say another word as they both continued to make short work of the pile. It felt oddly nice to work like that together with someone else, someone who understood his work.

She rose after finishing the last essay. It was nearly dinner time anyway.

"Good evening, Professor," she said softly as she left his office and the room suddenly felt just a bit colder again.


	4. One More Turn of the Wheel

**One More Turn of the Wheel**

Over the next few weeks, Hermione found herself in a peculiar state of mind. Somehow she felt as if she was finally beginning to wake up from a long coma as emotions and sensations started to filter back again, but the nightmares were worse than ever and she rarely slept more than a few hours without being woken up by them, or by her own screaming. She tried to focus on coursework but her thoughts would inevitably loop back to a certain Potions Master, making concentration difficult. A certain realisation was starting to make itself known, something she had known for a while but refused to recognise. _Damn it. I have a crush on him. Just what I need._

She ran into him occasionally at night as well, either on official Head Girl patrols or when she simply couldn't sleep and chose to roam the hallways instead. Hogwarts was peaceful at night and she would often trail a hand along the walls, or touch a pillar or handrail, as it gave her a sense of connection with the castle. Sometimes she wandered aimlessly, letting her feet and the castle guide her steps, and somehow it often seemed that he was on similar errands those nights.

Ginny started to come by the Head student quarters more often, despite Draco's presence. One Sunday morning Hermione had become fed up with their sniping and screeched that they needed to either get along or set up a duel, preferably somewhere out of her earshot, as she refused to listen to the two of them bickering anymore. Sparks were shooting out of her hair and the air was crackling with magic as she stared the pair of them down.

"Brilliant, but scary, as Ron used to say," Ginny muttered to Draco.

"All too true," Draco agreed.

Hermione huffed at them and declared that she refused to talk to either of them and was going to study instead.

"Want to fly?" Draco asked Ginny who looked at him oddly before actually agreeing, to what looked like their mutual bewilderment, and the pair left Hermione alone for the rest of the morning.

A plan of sorts started to form when she still couldn't get Professor Snape out of her mind. She kept up her somewhat regular visits to his office during his office hours, once or twice a week, not talking but either helping him correct essays or going through her own homework. She had started to make a list of all the potions she'd need to know for the NEWT exams, checking off the ones she was sure she could handle and trying to learn the rest of them. He'd been shooting glances at her work those days but obviously refused to try to engage her in conversation.

"Why are you here, again, Miss Granger?" he had asked her the last time she visited him a Sunday afternoon.

"Because I can relax around you." Her honesty apparently had him baffled.

He frowned at her before returning to his pile of essays. "You should not."

"What if I were no longer a student of yours, sir? Would you better accept my presence?"

That gave him pause, apparently, and he actually looked at her, saw her, for the first time since that night. "Yes, I would. Although the point is moot since you are my student, and then you will sit your NEWTs and subsequently leave the Castle, off to fame and better pursuits."

"I don't want fame! I'm not looking for a fancy Ministry career in the spotlight. I'm tired of fighting and attention. I just want to be able to learn things at my own pace, to research something useful. To be left alone for a change." _To get to know you better,_ she didn't say.

"Hmm," he had said, looking at her sharply, before returning to his essays.

~x~x~x~

Hermione had a standing meeting with Headmistress McGonagall every fortnight, Sunday afternoons, together with Draco. They went over school and student business over a pot of tea and some Scottish shortbread in the Headmistress' office. The first few meetings had been horribly stilted with mutual antagonism between Draco and the two Gryffindors but slowly all of them had relaxed and by mid October they could actually carry out a civil conversation, albeit not without the occasional pitfall.

"We need to do something about students affected by the war," Draco said as he dunked his shortbread in his cuppa, somehow managing to make even that look elegant. "Too many students are complaining of nightmares or being aggressive towards others."

"Now, Mr Malfoy, surely it is better to let sleeping dogs lie?" Professor McGonagall objected with a frown. "No good would come from trying to dig up old wounds, surely?"

Hermione looked at her sharply. The Headmistress' attitude was a bit surprising but she recalled that her paternal grandparents had been similar, preferring to hide uncomfortable feelings under the carpet rather than bringing them out into the open. Stiff upper lip and all that. Keep calm and carry on. Bollocks, she thought.

"I agree with Draco, Professor McGonagall. Too many of us were affected by this and it will do us no good if we just try to pretend everything is as it always has been. Many students have lost a parent or other relative or have parents in prison. Is there no one in the wizarding world that knows how to deal with traumatic events?"

"We don't do things like that," Draco said with an exaggeratedly raised eyebrow, looking at her directly. "Wizards are far too superior to succumb to such things, apparently. Right."

"Maybe someone with ties to the Muggle world then, a Squib or someone trained in Muggle psychology?" Hermione asked, thinking out loud. "Mind healing," she clarified at Draco's confused look. He nodded.

"I can check with Father if he knows of anyone who might know someone, and with Uncle Sev … sorry, Professor Snape," he said.

"Right, I'll check with my parents as well. Should we set up a support group of some sort?"

"Is all this really necessary?" Professor McGonagall interjected.

"Yes, it is, Headmistress," Hermione said firmly. "Before you protest again, please let me inform you that your dear favourite Gryffindor Harry Potter seems to be one of the worst affected. He hasn't been himself ever since this summer."

"Alright, Miss Granger," the Headmistress said, looking defeated. "I'll see what I can do."

As they got up to leave — Draco was going to spend the rest of the afternoon flying with Ginny, not that Hermione knew about that, of course — Hermione asked the Headmistress for another few minutes of her time.

Professor McGonagall smiled at her, a bit more at ease now that the subject of the war was closed. "Of course, Miss Granger. How may I help you?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I would like to take a few NEWTs early. I want to get them out of the way so that I can focus on some research and rehabilitation projects instead for Hogwarts."

"Oh, that is certainly ambitious but nothing you couldn't handle, I'm sure. What subjects were you considering?" Professor McGonagall leaned forward over her desk and eyed her expectantly.

"It depends a little on what schedule we could come up with but I was thinking of Herbology, Defence and Potions at least, maybe History of Magic, Astronomy and Muggle Studies too. Perhaps not all of them."

The Headmistress nodded and finished her tea as she thought it over. "It would take some time to arrange but I'd be willing to try to assist you. What about over the Christmas break? It's just over two months away so that should be feasible. Why are you thinking of those subjects in particular?"

Now that was the question Hermione didn't want to answer truthfully, or at all. _Because I want to spend time with Severus. Snape. In his dungeons. Or elsewhere._

"Oh, they're time consuming subjects that I feel I could pass already. And after this summer, I've seen more than I would ever want of Defence."

Professor McGonagall shuddered. She hadn't been heavily involved in the raids and in the final battle, unlike Hermione and her friends. Hermione felt somewhat embarrassed to pull the guilt card by referring the war but at the same time it was completely true.

"Certainly, Miss Granger. I shall pass on the request to the Ministry," the Headmistress answered.

~x~x~x~

Hermione took the long way back from the Headmistress' tower, via the dungeons and the Potions Master's office. Butterflies were dancing in her belly as she knocked and waited for him to arrive.

"My office hours are over," Professor Snape growled when he opened the door.

He had discarded his teaching robes but was still tightly buttoned up in a frock coat and white crisp shirt and cravat. It seemed that he had been busy brewing something, his long black hair was tied back with a black cord, emphasising his high cheekbones in a way that made his nose look much more proportional to the rest of him, and bringing out his black eyes. She thought he looked rather dashing which she would never ever admit to the man in question.

"Good to see you too, sir. I have some news to share, may I come in?"

He stared at her for a long minute before stepping aside and letting her enter. She strode into the room, still buoyed by her tidings, before losing momentum in front of his desk as she turned to face him, nerves catching up. He had barely moved two steps into the room and stood stock still staring at her impassively.

Taking a deep breath, she dove right into it. "I'm hoping to take my Potions NEWT already over the Christmas break. I wouldn't be a student of yours after the New Year, in that case."

The only reaction she got was a raised eyebrow as he studied her.

"I think I could pass them already, sir, I hope to take a few others as well to get them out of the way and hopefully focus on something more interesting afterwards."

"Such as?" he said, finally speaking.

"What I would really like to do, sir, is to help you with some of the research you mentioned," she said, trying to fight a blush but failing spectacularly. "It sounds fascinating and I think I could be of more use with that than if I spend another half year bored out of my mind in classes, excluding Potions of course."

The other eyebrow rose to join its twin and she had the pleasure of seeing him dumbfounded for once.

"Come along," he said decisively once he had regained some of his composure. "This discussion requires more comfortable furniture."

He strode towards the far corner of the room and placed his palm on the wall which made a doorway appear. He raised an eyebrow at her and started striding down the corridor. She hurriedly caught up with him before the doorway disappeared, and stumbled after him in the darkness. A few torches blazed to life as they passed. A door opened to a small foyer which she recognised as the one just outside his own quarters, and he impatiently waved her in to his sitting room. He gestured for her to take a seat and she tentatively sat down on the edge of the forest green couch, while he seated himself in an armchair. Hermione blushed fiercely as she recalled the last time she had been in this room, also involving that same man and that same armchair. He shifted uncomfortably when he noticed her embarrassment.

"So, would you care to enlighten me as to what your plans are?"

Hermione took a deep breath and tried to collect herself again. "Right. Today I asked Professor McGonagall if I could pass a few NEWTs early to free up my time for other things. I'd like to pass Herbology, Defence and Potions and possibly one or a few minor ones such as History of Magic, Astronomy or Muggle Studies. That would leave me with Transfiguration, Charms, Runes and Arithmancy for the rest of my time here, and plenty of time to spare."

"Herbology might be somewhat difficult for the practical portion," Professor Snape remarked. He was apparently thinking hard, tracing his lower lip with a long finger.

"Right, I didn't think about that," Hermione admitted, trying to wrench her eyes away from the distracting finger.

"And you want to delve deeper into Potions?" His black eyes locked on hers.

She nodded. "Yes, ideally I would like to focus on Arithmancy and Potions. Arithmancy is still a challenge in class and it goes with a lot of other research areas, and your ideas for Potions research sound intriguing."

"Let me think about it," he said slowly.

"Of course."

"I will help you revise for the NEWTs in case the Ministry agrees if you have questions or want to try to brew something. Does this mean I must grade all the essays myself again?" One eyebrow rose again and a shadow of a smile played at the corner of his eyes. She wanted more of that smile.

"Until Christmas, I suppose," she agreed.

She felt lighter than she had in ages as she left his quarters. Finally she had a sense of direction, something to aim for, even if the details were still vague. And spending more time with Severus … Professor Snape. Her stomach twisted in anxious anticipation, vacillating between elation and dread over spending time alone with him, but she settled for hoping it would be for the best in the end.

~x~x~x~

Harry was waiting for her when she got back to her quarters. He was leaning against the wall outside the entrance, hands in his front pockets, clad in school robes over jeans and a dark t-shirt. His lightning bolt scar had faded from an angry red to a paler pink, Hermione suspected that it would be a barely visible silver before another year passed. He really didn't look too good, dark circles under his eyes and his hair was longer than ever and looked in dire need of a wash, as did his clothes.

"Hi Harry."

They hadn't really talked for quite some time, and Ginny had been absolutely right about his moodiness. She felt a bit nervous and wondered why he was even there.

He smiled at her but it didn't reach his eyes. "Hey Hermione. Are you coming to dinner?"

"Oh, is it dinner time already? Sure, let's go. How are you?" She led the way down the corridor, smiling at the Ravenclaw third-years they passed.

"I dunno. I'm trying not to think about it too much." Harry looked away with a frown and fell silent.

"So where were you?" Harry asked as they descended the stairs towards the Great Hall.

Hermione frowned. "Oh, just Head Girl business. Meeting with Professor McGonagall."

He crossed his arms. "Really? Only I saw Malfoy here a good while ago and he said you were just going to ask her something after your meeting."

"Why do you ask?"

"And then I saw you on the Map, down in the dungeons with Snape. Snape! What were you doing with that git?"

She turned towards him, crossing her arms as well. "Discussing classes, if you must know! What business is it of yours, anyway?"

"Oh, only that the one I thought was my friend is found chatting with Malfoy, turning my girlfriend against me, and now hanging out with Snape?!" Harry snarled. They had stopped just outside the Great Hall, in clear view of everyone.

"Of course I talk to Draco! We share a common room, he's the sodding Head Boy! And as for Ginny, you did that yourself, with Lavender Brown!"

He leaned closer to her, smirking in a rather nasty way. "Oh, so it's Draco now? What's next, will you defile Ron's memory too by sleeping with Malfoy? Or have you already done that?"

"How dare you?" she shrieked and slapped him. "I can be friends with anyone I'd like to, including Draco bloody Malfoy. And for the record, that's all I was with Ron too. But I'm not sure I can count you in any more, you only seem intent on hurting everyone you claim to care about!"

She spun around and ran out of the castle. Harry looked after her before stalking into the Hall, snapping at a pair of second-years that were staring at him.

Draco and Ginny found her crying at the bottom of the stairs as they were coming back from the Quidditch pitch. They looked flushed and windswept but overall rather happy.

"What's up, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"It's Harry," she choked out. She told them the whole sordid tale as she accompanied them back up the stairs.

"Looks like Scarhead is losing the few marbles he had, you should be careful around him," Draco commented before taking off towards the Slytherin tables.

"Head high now," Ginny mumbled and led Hermione over to the Gryffindor tables, not looking at Harry. They sat down next to Neville and proceeded to pointedly ignore the Boy-Who-Lived for the rest of the meal.

~x~x~x~

After dinner she joined Draco in their common room. She needed to make a revision plan for each subject, and of course it might change depending on the outcome of the Headmistress' request to the Ministry. Crookshanks hopped up next to Draco on the couch, probably just because the Head Boy was studiously ignoring the large half-Kneazle. Hermione felt a stab of jealousy at the cat's choice of seating but told herself she was being ridiculous.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as she started unpacking nearly all of her textbooks.

"I've asked Professor McGonagall if I could take some NEWTs early," Hermione said as she fished in her bag for a sturdy notebook and pen. Quills and parchments were fancy and all that but also utterly impractical sometimes, so she usually brought some Muggle contraband from home as well.

Draco's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, really? Which ones?"

"It's up to the Ministry but I'm hoping for Herbology, Potions, Defence, and maybe Muggle Studies, History and Astronomy." Hermione started plotting out a revision time table.

"Why, though? I thought you wanted the extra time to get impossible scores?" he asked, smirking.

"I want to finish off a few classes so that I can do something a bit more meaningful instead," Hermione said evasively. She didn't particularly want to discuss her motivations with Draco. He wasn't discouraged, however.

He frowned at her. "But seriously, Potions? I thought you liked that subject, odd as it might sound?"

 _Damn._ Hermione tried to fight a blush but probably failed spectacularly.

"I'm hoping to do some research projects instead."

"In Potions?" Draco sounded oddly sceptical and maybe even a bit defensive, although Hermione couldn't quite figure out why.

"Yes, Professor Snape had some very interesting ideas and if he allows it I'd like to assist with them."

"Right," Draco frowned but refrained from further comment.


	5. Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

**Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast**

He had felt oddly elated after her visit. Maybe, just maybe, it was his turn after all? After years of abuse, misery and two fickle masters, each impossible to serve in their own way, maybe he could think of himself first? He had never expected to survive the war, let alone as a free citizen that was at least reluctantly recognised for his contributions to win it, so maybe it was time for him to figure out what he liked for himself, instead of what everyone else wanted from him? Helping Miss Granger — Hermione — with taking her Potions NEWT early was definitely in line with that as it might give him a capable assistant and perhaps more. _Yes, more of her,_ his inner Slytherin whispered. His vague plans to start up a brewing company were not as finalised as Hermione might have thought, but one thing had become painfully clear to him ever since the end of the war: he needed to get out of Hogwarts.

Monday arrived with Potions with the seventh-year NEWT students just after lunch. Miss Granger kept her head down and worked quickly, as usual, but she didn't put her hand up more than three times during class. Severus had noticed Draco looking paler than usual and that he had barely eaten anything, neither for breakfast nor at lunch, and he wondered a bit what was up with the Slytherin boy. He hadn't seen him receiving any letters when the owls came so there shouldn't have been any bad news from home at least. The young man had given him a very odd look at lunch too, confusion mixed with hurt and apprehension, and Severus didn't quite understand where it might have come from.

Draco lingered after class, as Severus had more or less expected him to.

"What's the matter, Mr Malfoy?" he asked when Draco kept fidgeting.

"Please … I'm not sure if I need to talk to Professor Snape or Uncle Severus at the moment, or even the Slytherin Head of House. Do you have another class coming in?"

"No, let's move to my quarters." Severus led the way to his sitting room. He lit a fire with a wave of his wand and gestured to his young charge to take a seat in an armchair, himself taking the one opposite. Draco had been invited in somewhat regularly if not very frequently.

Once seated he waited impassively for Draco to tell him what was bothering him.

"When you're ready, Draco," he said eventually, deliberately using his first name.

"Did you tell Granger that she could do research with you?" the boy finally blurted out, to his great surprise.

He frowned. "Miss Granger? No, not quite."

Draco leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Why is she lining up her NEWTs like Christmas candy then and why did she talk about your research as if she knew all about it?"

"Mind your manners, Draco, in either of the three capacities you listed earlier I do demand some respect from you. You are essentially correct in that she informed me that she was going to try to get some NEWTs done during Christmas break if the Ministry accepts it. She has also declared an interest in Potions research but I have not discussed details related to any of my projects with her."

"Why does she get special treatment like that?" He raked a hand through his blond hair.

Severus glared at him. "At least try to act your age, Mr Malfoy, you're not ten anymore. She has merely asked the question, it is up to the Ministry and the Headmistress to approve it or not. I was also going to ask you if you wanted to have the same opportunity, and to request that of Minerva if it is your wish to do so. As for whether or not she can be of use in Potions research, that is between Miss Granger and myself."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Severus. Professor Snape. You're right of course." Draco took a deep breath and seemed to sort out his thoughts. "In fact, yes I would like to take the opportunity to be done with a few classes early, and for much the same reasons. She said Herbology, Potions and Defence right? That would be fine with me, I don't expect to have a problem with passing any of them."

Severus inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I'll bring it up to Minerva, then. If they are indeed arranging a testing opportunity it would only be fair that others could participate as well. I doubt very many would take the chance."

"Thank you." Draco seemed a bit calmer but still not completely at ease. "It's just … with the research project … it would feel very odd if she gets to participate and I don't, you know?"

"I do understand, Draco. I will ensure that you are included as long as you remember that it is not a competition between the two of you. Also, I have made no promises to her at this stage."

"Thanks. I appreciate your support."

"Now, as your Head of House, I shall go bully Minerva into letting you take the tests along with her favourite lioness; as your Godfather, I must tell you to eat properly and to try to get along with Miss Granger, and as your Professor, I feel obliged to point out that the consequences for failing to get anything but an O in your Potions NEWT will be severe," he said with a smirk.

Draco laughed and rose to leave. "Aye, sir. Uncle. Professor. I got the message."

~x~x~x~

Once Draco had left, Severus made the trek up to the Headmistress' office. _I shall need to start exercising once I no longer have to scale all these staircases every day,_ he mused.

"Auchentoshan," he muttered to the gargoyle who blinked at him sleepily before letting him pass. At least Minerva had better taste in passwords than Albus had had, although she had a tendency to set passwords that were nearly impossible to pronounce for any non-Scot whenever she was annoyed with someone, which was a rather regular occurrence. Minerva had also cleared out quite a few of Albus' odd contraptions but not yet added much of her own touch. A tartan plaid over an armchair was about the only personal decoration he could spot, apart from the well-filled whisky cabinet of course. She'd asked him if there was anything he wanted for himself from Albus' things, but the only thing he had been interested in was the Pensieve along with Albus' extensive memory vial cabinet, apart from some of his books of course. Just a few tomes. Half a bookshelf, at that. Alright, maybe one full floor-to-ceiling shelf, and a few extras. Hrm.

"Severus," she greeted him with a sigh as he entered and called for two cups of tea from an elf. "Come to help me with next year's budget?"

He smirked at her. "I shall gladly leave the number wrangling to you and Filius, thank you very much. Let me guess, funding is down, everything is worn out, repairs are needed and the Board says no? Are you planning any changes to the curriculum next year?"

"More or less like that." Minerva brought a hand to her temple, apparently fighting off a headache.

She looked older than her sixty-odd years and worn although the end of the war had given her some new energy. She poured the cups, not needing to ask how he took his tea after so many years together. In return, he silently handed her a headache potion.

"I am trying to push through a few changes, with less than limited success so far. Although it looks like admittance will go up next year, which is good except for the fact that you will have more clueless first-years to browbeat into submission, of course." She quickly drank the potion, chasing it down with some more tea.

"Speaking of which … I might be moving on after this school year to try to start up a Potions brewing company."

Minerva gasped and nearly dropped her teacup. "Severus, are you saying you're leaving Hogwarts?"

"Calm down Minerva, it is another eight months away and I haven't fully decided if I can go ahead with it yet. I planned to tell you later when my plans were more formalised but I have no wish to hide things from you either."

"I don't know what to say, Severus," Minerva said shakily before taking a deep breath. "I think I'll settle for congratulations. Although I'll complain about it this spring when I have to search for someone to fill your billowing robes, but you should know that I think you're making the right decision. You're too young to sign away the rest of your life to a boarding school, lad. I shall miss you however."

"Thank you, Minerva." Severus felt completely out of sorts, he hadn't expected any kind of affection from her. He too had to take a deep breath before continuing. "That is not why I came to see you, however. I have heard that Miss Granger approached you regarding a chance at sitting some NEWTs early?"

Minerva nodded. "That's right, although I don't quite understand why she wants to do it. Maybe she just wanted to be able to focus on Charms and Transfiguration? After all, it was Potions and Defence that she wanted to test out of, along with a few others." She smirked at that; Severus let it pass even though he knew differently.

He shrugged. "Be that as it may, I would not presume to understand what is going on in that bushy head. I just wanted to request that should the Ministry approve of her testing, that other students be given the same opportunity if desired. I doubt there are many that would take up that offer."

"Well, I can't see that it would make a difference if it's one student or five that test out early and they do hold test sessions during Christmas anyway for those that couldn't participate in the regular sessions. I presume you have someone in particular in mind?"

"Draco Malfoy," Severus admitted. At Minerva's frown he elaborated, "Come now, surely you know of his situation? He feels that by freeing up some of his time he may better help her."

She nodded reluctantly. "As I've already sent off the request for the subjects Miss Granger mentioned, I will amend the request to state that more students may be wishing to take the tests. I'll make an announcement once I hear from the Ministry regarding the opportunity but any student that wants to partake in this would need to have permission from their teachers. You may vouch for Mr Malfoy. It wouldn't do if we send off students half a year early and they fail the tests. Also, the range of subjects will be limited to those I've already requested permission for, not everything we have on the curriculum."

"That sounds fair. I think Draco is interested in Herbology, Potions and Defence as well."

~x~x~x~

The next day he had office hours again, and as he had half hoped, there was a knock on the door again.

"Enter," he called and she entered, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as usual. She took a seat opposite his desk and started unpacking her Potions textbook.

"Good evening, Professor. I've started going through the NEWT syllabus."

"Naturally. Has Minerva received word from the Ministry already?" He didn't think she had, but occasionally the Ministry managed to surprise him, although usually in a negative way.

She shook her head. "No, I just like being prepared."

"Have you talked to Mr Malfoy?"

"No, should I have? Well I did mention that I had asked Professor McGonagall for the chance to take some NEWTs early, and he did ask about Potions." She frowned and bit her lower lip again. It made him want to reach out to her and pull it free. _Kiss it free, you mean_ , his inner Slytherin suggested.

He studied her more closely again. She seemed to have lost some weight over the autumn, probably not surprising given the war and everything, but she didn't have that much to start with.

"Until you have actually passed your Potions NEWT, most of this is academic anyway," he began and she nodded. He didn't quite know how to phrase his next question, but needed to hear it from her. "However, I need to ask you, is it truly your wish to assist me with Potions research? To spend much of your time down here in the lab, under my supervision?"

She nodded in that determined Gryffindor fashion. "Yes, it is. Potions is an intricate discipline with a lot of details which pleases me, along with Arithmancy. And I know it's not what you usually hear, sir, but I find that I can relax around you. You demand more of me than anyone else ever has but nothing more than you demand of yourself."

He was yet again surprised to find that she was correct in her assessment of him. "Very well. Please note that Mr Malfoy has a personal interest in one of my areas of research. I will not tell you more at this stage but suggest that you talk to him. If you are truly interested in assisting with a Potions project after the new year it is imperative that the two of you get along at least to the point of being able to listen to each other."

She frowned but kept quiet, for once.

"Now, did you actually have a Potions question?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly scrambled to find her notes.

"Um, I was just wondering, I've made a list of potions that seem to be relevant for the NEWTs but if I'm not mistaken there's a discrepancy between what you teach us and what the official test covers? Did I miss an important potion here?"

He scanned the list briefly and added a Swelling Solution and the Euphoria Elixir before declaring it complete.

"Indeed, I do cover more than what is requested for the NEWTs. As you can see the official list is quite haphazard, and I do not feel that it gives the students a chance to build up their knowledge by basing more difficult potions or preparation methods on previously known ones. The Ministry-sanctioned list also skips several highly useful potions that are good for most NEWT level students to be familiar with."

Hermione nodded and started scribbling notes on her list.

"Should you go ahead with these plans, I would like to ensure that you still know the rest of the potions that I cover in class, but we shall worry about that after you have passed the test. I surmise there is no need for me to tell you that your scores on that NEWT will reflect on me as well, and that I do not tolerate mediocrity?"

She shot him a quick smile. "Certainly, sir. I don't intend to disappoint either you or myself."

He nodded sharply.

She rose to leave but hesitated, saying, "I … would you happen to have something that could help with nightmares? I haven't slept well since … well, since that night, and before then not since the Astronomy tower night." She was blushing again and looking down at the desk, worrying her lip with her teeth.

He had risen as well and looked at her again, wondering if it was a glamour or make-up that hid dark circles under her eyes. "I will fetch some Dreamless Sleep if you just wait here. Unfortunately that is the most efficient short-term solution we have available, however you cannot use it more than three times a week, and never two nights in a row. What I give you should last you at least two weeks. Can I trust you with it? You do know the effects of overuse?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir, I'll be careful," she half whispered. "I do remember your words. Thank you."

He opened the door to his lab and Summoned a vial for her.

She walked slowly towards the door, bottle in hand but seemingly thinking about something. He followed behind her.

"Can I ask you something?" She turned towards him, a hand on the doorknob already. At his inquiring raised eyebrow she continued, "What do you want out of this? Do you agree with my plans or am I just making a fool out of myself again, thinking that I could involve myself in Potions research, working with you?"

He wasn't sure if she meant it the way it sounded, but part of him hoped so. He stepped close enough to touch her, close enough to smell her scent of jasmine and neroli, close enough to see the dilation of her pupils as she stared up at him, taking a deep breath that caused her breasts to strain against her blouse.

"I am a rather selfish man, Hermione," he said in a low voice, noticing the way his use of her name made her shiver. "After being free from two despotic masters I have started to embrace the notion to aim for things that I … value rather than merely doing things for the Greater Good." His eyebrow rose at the mention of _greater good_ , Albus' catchphrase, and she snorted, clearly agreeing with his assessment. "As such, this idea of yours seems excellent to me. We shall talk more once you hear from Minerva that your request has been approved."

"Thank you," she whispered and shot him a half smile which turned more impish as she continued, "Sometimes a little selfishness is needed, I think, in order to reach a better outcome. Besides, stating what you want is hardly selfish, although acting without thought for the consequences might be."

He inclined his head towards her. "Indeed. Now if you are to pull off this scheme of yours you need to remember to eat properly. See that you do or I will have to take measures."

"Yes, Professor!" She threw him a faint smile as she escaped out the door.

~x~x~x~

He went through classes on autopilot over the next few days, mulling things over, as a decision slowly crystallised itself. He had learned not to hurry himself with large decisions, but once they were made there was no reason to tarry, and so he went off in search of a colleague despite it being rather late on a weekday evening.

"Ah, Severus." The dark-haired witch eyed him curiously as she opened the door for him. "What a surprise, I didn't think you even knew where I lived."

He bowed his head in greeting. "Septima. I trust I didn't wake you?"

"Certainly not."

She gestured for him to enter. He nodded at Aurora who sat in an armchair by the fire. The two witches had been a solid if vaguely defined couple for as long as he had been teaching. He had never counted either of them as a true friend, mainly because all three of them were rather aloof, but neither had they ever been hostile towards him. Septima had been a Slytherin; he was not sure of Aurora and thought she might have been schooled elsewhere, Beauxbatons perhaps?

Septima brought him a cognac which he gratefully accepted, toasting his hosts. They had rather good taste in cognac.

"I am here because of a mutual student of ours, and a potentially unique situation for the coming years."

He was aware of the witch's uncanny sense of logic and what must be mental Arithmantic equations. She was one of the few in the castle that could match him in discussions and logical puzzles, and if he were to be honest with himself, also outwit him at times. Such as now.

"And what has the inestimable Miss Granger come up with this time?" Septima asked after a deliberate pause. She laughed at the flash of surprise that passed his features.

"Oh, come now, there are only two students in this school that would warrant you turning up on my doorstep at, let's see now, eleven o'clock on a Thursday evening. And one of them is not a relevant candidate for other reasons. Now, let's see here, Minerva did announce something about early NEWTs didn't she? I must have missed that but I heard some talk about it later."

He nodded. "Indeed. I never quite understood why I was stuck with the vampire rumours when it is evident that you never see the crack of dawn except for from the wrong end."

"Must be the garlic, I love garlic." Septima smiled at him.

"That is all too true, to the detriment of the rest of us," Aurora interjected and toasted them with her cognac.

"I shall need to run some calculations, but if my idea of what you're thinking of is indeed correct, which I think it is, then …. Hmmm …"

"Did you study under Albus, perchance? How to be vague and infuriating? You are just missing the twinkle." He frowned at her, not that she noticed. Apparently she was busy running calculations in her head as she barely seemed to hear him, but Aurora nodded vigorously and he smirked at her.

"Oh!" Septima suddenly exclaimed, looking at him wide eyed. "I see. I shall accept, Severus. Let's work out the details later. I know I don't really need to say this but I need to anyway, so just be careful, Severus. Don't hurt her, she's still inexperienced in many ways. You're leaving us after the school year, then?"

He stared down at her, frozen in place. Apparently he was more transparent than he had ever expected. Suddenly he was very glad that Septima Vector didn't know Legilimency, as far as he knew, and also that she didn't seem to have any ambition to become the next Dark Lord, err Lady.

"Thank you, I will endeavour not to, and yes, are the answers, I think." He handed her the now empty glass back and bade the two witches a good night.

As he left he heard Aurora's laughter through the closing door. _"Poor man, you had him quite dazzled,"_ Aurora was saying. _"Yes,"_ Septima answered smugly. _"I wasn't about to tell him that I had already calculated these outcomes. He's made good choices so far, at least. And he's so fun to rile up, he's so used to being the cleverest one around."_


	6. Like a Rolling Stone

**Like a Rolling Stone**

Hermione sat with Ginny and Neville at breakfast a few days after her discussion with Professor Snape when Headmistress McGonagall rose and asked for silence in the Hall.

"May I have your attention, students. The Ministry has approved a request to hold some NEWT examinations early over Christmas break. Any seventh-year student who wishes to pass their NEWTs early in Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, History of Magic or Astronomy may contact their Head of House. Please bear in mind that permission is required from your teachers as we will not permit students that are not yet at a sufficient level to take the tests. Also, remember that your test results will reflect not only on yourself but also on your teachers, and on Hogwarts itself. Students that are interested in this should ask their Head of House by Friday of next week at the latest."

The Headmistress sat down again and and the general buzz started up again in the Great Hall when everyone started discussing the news. Hermione felt a stab of annoyance at the fact that more students may be permitted to take the tests early, but fought it down and reasoned that not very many students would take the offer, and that it made sense for the Ministry to arrange the testing not just for one student.

"Are you going to apply, Hermione?" Ginny asked her, bringing her out of her musings.

"What? Oh, yes, I was the one who asked Professor McGonagall for the opportunity."

"Which ones are you planning on then?" Neville asked.

Ginny's eyes widened. "If you asked for it … are you planning on taking all of them?"

Hermione nodded. "I want to focus on something more meaningful later, and I'll still have plenty of subjects to study for in June."

Neville frowned and looked pensive. "I might take them up on Defence and Herbology."

"Really? I thought you liked Herbology?" Ginny asked.

"Of course I do, it's my best subject, but I could test out of the NEWT and spend the spring on a more advanced project instead." Neville reached for another slice of toast and began liberally slathering it in blackberry jam.

"That's sort of what I want to do as well, although not in Herbology. And I'm sick of Defence after this summer, I don't think any of us would have a problem with passing it, we've been through more than the examiners have for sure."

Neville nodded and Ginny looked sad. Hermione got flashbacks to the fighting at Malfoy Manor. Blood, pain, the smell of death and panic. Shuddering she wrenched her thoughts back to the present, certain that the others too were remembering more than they wanted to, although Ginny hadn't been at the Manor.

"Yeah, too bad they won't let us sixth-years take the tests as well. I think I could pass Defence too, at least the practical part," Ginny said.

"I'm sure you could," Neville told her.

"Who else do you think will want to test out of a subject?" Ginny asked.

Neville thought about it. "I wonder if Harry will want to test out of Defence. I don't think any other Gryffindor would bother."

"Some Ravenclaws will probably try," Hermione commented. "Neville, do you want to study together for Herbology and DADA then?"

"Sure, that would be good. I'll just have to go talk to Professor Lupin to get signed up first."

"I'll set up a revision schedule," Hermione said.

Remus Lupin was back teaching DADA now that Voldemort was dead and the curse on the post likely lifted, and had become Head of Gryffindor now that Professor McGonagall was Headmistress instead. They also had a new Transfiguration teacher, Imelda Orpington, a friend of Molly Weasley's that had agreed to help out for a year or two.

~x~x~x~

During their double Potions class, Professor Snape surprised them by shuffling the pairs, partnering Hermione with Draco for the brewing session. Furthermore, he set them to brewing a different potion from the rest of the class, one that Hermione recognised from the NEWT list.

"Are you planning on taking the NEWT early?" she asked Draco as they were studying the list. "This is one that is covered by the NEWT examination."

"Yes, Potions, Herbology and Defence."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, a bit surprised that he would choose to test out of all three of the core subjects offered.

"Miss Granger, five points from Gryffindor for idle chatter," Snape called out to her, smirking at her furious expression. Even though he had actually mellowed some this term, no longer blatantly favouring the Slytherins at the expense of everyone else, he still apparently enjoyed Gryffindor-baiting.

Draco snickered at her as they went back to studying the potion, an advanced Calming Draught. It was complex but should not prove to be too difficult. Soon they were busy setting up the workstation, fetching ingredients, chopping roots and rinsing puffer-fish eyes. Professor Snape came over to watch their work, and as Hermione reached for another stalk of silverweed he stilled her hands and moved up between them.

"The slices you have just made are good and what you should demonstrate at the NEWT tests, but this method is more efficient for this brew. Observe."

He deftly sliced the stalks lengthwise before chopping them at a 45 degree angle rather than just cutting them straight across. Dropping some roots from Hermione's batch in their brew first, he told them to note the way the colour slowly changed as the weeds were absorbed. When he dropped a few roots from the batch he had just prepared, the colour change happened rapidly and bubbles started forming as the potion started boiling.

"Oh," Hermione said.

"Mr Malfoy, can you describe what difference that cut made?"

"Um, you have a larger surface area in contact with the solution, and the fibres of the plant are rather long and if you just slice them straight across you don't get much of an opening in them?" Draco said.

"Correct, ten points to Slytherin," Professor Snape said and smirked again at Hermione's glower.

"And Miss Granger, why don't we always use a more efficient cut? When can we do it and when is it not advisable?" he asked her, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Because sometimes we need a better control of the rate of interaction between the potion and the ingredient, sir?" she said after some deliberation. "And perhaps because in a training setting, it is better to let pupils learn the slower but safer route rather than the shortcut?"

"Indeed, five points to Gryffindor," Professor Snape said to her great astonishment. "Close your mouth, you look like a fish. Besides, your potion is ready for the next stage, is it not?"

He hadn't even been watching it but he was right of course. Hurriedly they got on with the next steps of the brewing.

"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, stay after class," he said as he stalked away to prey on the next group.

They managed to finish the brew and bottled all of it for the Infirmary after Professor Snape's inspection while the rest of the class filed out.

"So," Professor Snape said. "The two of you are the only ones I will allow to take the Potions NEWT early. Since Potions requires some practical experience, I will permit you the use of the Potions classroom and ingredient stores once or twice a week. I shall be here during my office hours between now and Christmas and I strongly suggest that you use that time to practice. In order to make the most of all of our time, I propose that you agree on a potion to brew during those hours so that you can compare results and help each other rather than brewing different potions, even if you are to brew separately. Does that sound agreeable to you?"

Hermione nodded.

"Perfect," Draco said.

"I also expect you to work together in the normal classes," Professor Snape continued.

"I think we can manage," Hermione said and looked at Draco who nodded.

"See that you do," he said before dismissing them.

~x~x~x~

Over dinner Harry confronted her again.

"So you're partnering with Malfoy in Potions too to take the NEWTs early? Are we even friends anymore?"

Hermione had had enough of his mood swings. She rose from her seat to glare at him from across the table.

"Harry James Potter. You are the one responsible for pushing all your friends away. Not me, not Ginny. You are. All of us are hurt from this stupid war, all of us miss someone, but you can't take it out on everyone else. Loads of people care about you but if you keep going on like this you won't have anyone left. You need to sort yourself out and talk to someone or something! I can't and won't fix you. Now LEAVE ME ALONE!"

She took her things and stalked further down the table, sitting down next to a scared-looking second-year who wisely left her to eat in peace.

~x~x~x~

"Draco," she said tentatively when she returned to the common room from the library where she had been cross-referencing History books. He was leaning back on the couch, nose buried in a Herbology textbook.

"Yes?" he said without looking up.

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"You just did." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She snorted. "Sorry, your colours are all wrong for the proper Professor Snape look."

"Drat," he said and went back to his reading.

Hermione took a deep breath again. "Anyway, Professor Snape seemed to think that I should ask you about your interest in his research?"

"Oh. I guess I should probably tell you." Draco frowned and closed the book.

"I'm sorry." She suddenly felt nervous over his unusual attitude. "I don't mean to pry."

"Oh yes you do," he said heavily but without ire. "I haven't really talked about this, Granger, so don't interrupt alright?"

She nodded and sat down in the armchair across from the couch, pulling her feet up under her.

Draco took a deep breath and settled lengthwise in the couch, not looking at her.

"When I … failed my task last spring I was forced to essentially go into hiding as I could never have fooled Lord Snakemort that I was still on his side, if I ever was." Hermione giggled at the name. "At first, Severus was able to take me in but it soon became impossible to keep me there. He came up with a plan that I should essentially fake my own death and that he should make it look like he had killed me, to gain more favour with Scalyface. I had already understood that he was on the Order's side and not a true Death Eater so that made me a liability to him as well."

She nodded. "I do remember, that's when you came to the Burrow, right?"

He had suddenly arrived one day, to everyone's bewilderment, but Molly had swiftly installed him in Charlie's old room and bullied everyone into being at least civil after Dumbledore's somewhat erratic explanations.

"Yeah, that was quite a shock," he said with a shudder. "Weasleys everywhere. Anyway, the plan worked out fine, only a little too well in fact. My father was devastated but my mother completely lost it once Severus presented 'evidence' of my death which he managed to blame on Dear Aunt Bella. Apparently Mother screamed for half a day before catching her darling sister, trying to strangle her with her own hair. Unfortunately the bitch managed to retaliate and hit Mother with a curse that trapped her in her own mind."

"Oh, that's awful! Sorry to say but I'm really glad your father took her out." Hermione shuddered as she remembered how Malfoy Senior had stabbed his sister-in-law to death with a knife during the infiltration of the Manor, with unusual brutality. Hermione hadn't understood why he was so vicious but now it made more sense.

Draco nodded. "Yeah, I agree. So, Mother has been in a magical coma ever since then, she just keeps screaming if she's woken up. Severus has been trying to figure out how to break the curse and snap her out of it but so far nothing has worked."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry, Draco." Hermione felt horrified at the suffering they must have gone through, were still subjected to. She had never considered what had happened to the Malfoys after the war, and had rather tried to avoid thinking about Lucius' somewhat unhinged actions during their siege of his Manor although they regularly popped up in her nightmares.

He gave a brittle laugh. "Typical Gryffindor, apologising for things that weren't your fault. Anyway, that's why I want to help Severus with the research, and why I want to get a few NEWTs out of the way."

"I'll help you if I can. Thanks for telling me, I really appreciate it. Do you want to study together for the other subjects too? Neville and I will review Herbology and Defence, you are welcome to join us if you want."

"I doubt Longbottom agrees," Draco said dubiously.

"Oh, he will if I ask him to. Besides, a mind healing potion might be something that could help his parents, they too were victims of Bellatrix after all."

~x~x~x~

She managed to speak to her Professors regarding her NEWTs over the next few days. Professor Lupin agreed that she would not have any problems with Defence, and gave her a few pointers for the written tests. Professor Sinistra said that she'd do fine in Astronomy and helped her set up a plan for revisions. Professor Sprout was sad to hear she wished to drop the class but assured her that she would be fine during the tests, and gave her another list with plants that were often used for the practical portion. Neville reluctantly agreed to work with Draco as long as he behaved himself, and they came up with a schedule for revision. Since all of them felt at home with Defence they agreed to leave off revising that until later and to focus on Herbology. Neville even set up a small area in the greenhouses for plants that they should tend in preparation for the test.

Sleep was still erratic and filled with terrors. She tried to not use Dreamless Sleep but after a few too many nights in a row she just couldn't cope any more. At least her new plan kept her busy enough not to think since she still had her regular classes and assignments to hand in, plus the extra studying. For the first time in her Hogwarts career she ruthlessly stuck to the assignment rather than trying to add another few feet of parchment to each essay, in order to be more efficient. Draco and her shuffled as many patrols and other supervision duties as they could onto the prefects, mindful to keep enough control so that the Headmistress didn't get annoyed with them. Her thoughts kept circling back to Severus' clever hands at inopportune moments, such as during Charms revision, but for the most part she managed to keep her focus. Ginny came by to see them regularly, and Luna showed up a few times, but otherwise she didn't bother trying to keep up with any kind of social schedule, not that she'd ever had much of one anyway.

The following Friday Hermione was just getting ready to go to bed after having revised Astronomy all evening when there was a knock on the door to their quarters. Draco was either in his own chambers or out somewhere with Ginny, she hadn't seen him at all that evening.

"Harry? What is it?" She was surprised to see him after their last row.

Harry was leaning against the wall next to the door. "Hi Hermione. Can I come in?"

"Alright, but it's late already." She let him in despite her doubts. He wobbled slightly as he made his way to the couch.

"Harry, are you drunk?" she asked with rising concern. He smelled of Firewhisky and sweat and his clothes were rather dirty.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm sorry for everything, you know. I'm sorry for hurting you, and Ginny. I hurt everyone I care about."

"It's alright, Harry. We've all been hurt by this stupid war."

She crossed her arms in front of her. Harry had managed to seat himself on the couch and looked down on the floor.

"No no no, it's not alright. It's all my fault, you see. I hurt everyone, you know? If it weren't for me, Ron would still be alive and I wouldn't have hurt you or Ginny or all the Weasleys. Sirius would be alive and everything would be just fine. My mum and dad would be alive and happy. If I just go away you'll be fine again, you know?" He looked up at her over the rim of his dirty glasses.

"Harry! Don't say that! It's not your fault, it's Voldemort's fault!"

"I shouldn't be alive, Hermione. I shouldn't be here. I'll disappear and you'll all be better off without me. I'll go away. You'll see, it will all be better then and I'll get to be with my mum."

She sat down next to him and hugged him fiercely. He was tense and dejected and didn't react at first, but slowly raised his arms too and held her.

"You're my friend, Harry," she murmured in his ear, "I do care about you, you know that? You're like my honorary brother. I don't want you to go away."

"Really?" he said in a small voice and held her tighter. She nodded in his hair. His breath hitched as if he was crying but he didn't make any sound.

She didn't know how long they sat like that. Slowly his hands started moving on their own accord over her back. He tightened his grip on her and breathed deeply in her hair.

"You'll be alright, Harry. You'll see." She didn't know how to calm him down.

"Mmmhmmm," he agreed.

His grip tightened even more and he started smelling her neckline, tracing a line with his lips. One of his hands was slowly inching its way under her cardigan while the other held her shoulders firmly against his chest.

"Harry …" she tried, starting to feel decidedly uncomfortable. "Stop, Harry."

"Mmmmmhmmmmm."

His hand snaked its way to the clasp of her bra, deftly unhooking it. At the same time he pushed her down on the couch and shuffled his weight over her. She could feel his erection against her leg and started to feel afraid.

"Harry! No! Stop!"

She tried to push him off, but he was strong after Quidditch and duelling and had a longer reach. He tried to kiss her, wetly, while one hand undid the fly on her jeans. She tried to knee him but with jeans that were a little too large since she'd not eaten properly he had already managed to push them halfway down her thigh and she couldn't get any purchase.

"Yes you do want to. You want me Hermione. You want this. I know you do. Let me fuck you."

He straddled her hips and ripped her cardigan open. He bent down over her exposed breasts and started sucking them wetly, grinding himself against her thigh. She tried bucking him off but only managed to make him angry. He backhanded her hard enough to split her lip and she started screaming.

"No Harry No!"

Her tears were falling freely and she tried to pull at his hair. He didn't listen, pushed her jeans out of the way and pulled her knickers down to her knees before fumbling for his own belt buckle. Her wand was in her room, frantically she tried to cast a wandless Stunner but he was too close for it to work.

"Good idea," he snarled and brought out his own wand to bind her hands over her head before trying to kiss her again wetly as he freed his erection from his pants. She screamed again against his mouth.

Suddenly he was flung off her, backwards off the couch, and Hermione heard someone snarl _"Petrificus Totalus,"_ leaving Harry bound on the floor.

"Shit," Draco exclaimed with unusual eloquence and swiftly summoned a blanket for Hermione. He released her hands and quickly made his way to the fireplace while she pulled the blanket over herself.

"Severus Snape's quarters," Draco announced to the Floo and stuck his head in the green flames. Very shortly afterwards his Head of House stepped through and made a quick survey of the situation.

"Details, Draco," he snapped and Draco recounted what he had seen.

"Call Minerva and the werewolf."

While Draco did just that, Severus knelt down next to Hermione who was curled up in a foetal position on the couch, still sobbing.

"Hermione, it's alright now. He can't hurt you now."

She clung to his arm as if she was drowning and couldn't stop her tears from falling.

Vaguely she noticed others coming into the room. The Headmistress stormed in and started asking questions too loudly without listening to any of the answers. Hermione tuned her out.

"Breathe. Long deep breaths, that's good." His rich baritone vibrated in her chest.

She focused on his voice and the cloth of his frock coat in her probably too tight grip around his upper arm and slowly she managed to calm down a little, becoming instead uncomfortably aware of her state of undress under the blanket that Draco had so quickly provided her. Looking around she saw that Professor Lupin had joined them too and a blush started rising on her cheeks again.

"Miss Granger, are you unhurt?" Professor McGonagall asked. "What happened? What's going on? Why are you undressed?"

Severus intervened. "Minerva, can't you see that she's badly shocked? Give it a rest!"

Turning to Hermione again he told her, "Are you able to talk about it and tell us what happened? There are a few options if you'd rather not. Either you can extract the memory for us to view in a Pensieve, or I could look at them with Legilimency and then take action from there."

She didn't have to think long about it. "Legilimency," she whispered. She thought she saw a glimpse of approval in his eyes.

"Very well. Look at me and relax. _Legilimens!_ "

She could feel his presence in her mind. It felt odd but he kept completely still and somehow it felt comforting rather than threatening.

" _Let us establish a safe place first,"_ he told her in her mind. _"Is there any place you have good memories of, that you can picture as a safe haven?"_

After some deliberation, a cottage she used to visit with her family in France sprang to mind. She recalled the place, a white cottage flanked by rose bushes quite close to the sea, and felt herself relax as she pictured a cup of tea by the rough hewn kitchen table, a fire sparkling in the cast iron wood-burning stove.

" _Very good,"_ Severus said. _"Remember this place, you are always safe here. Return here if anything gets too much. Are you ready? Just think back to what you were doing earlier this evening."_ His mental voice felt as smooth as his spoken voice.

She nodded and felt more than heard him register her assent. It felt odd to have him carefully sifting through her mind, finding the thread with the most recent events. She brought him to the time when Harry had knocked on the door and everything came back again. _"I am here,"_ he reassured her as they viewed it. When Harry started ripping off her clothes she felt Severus asking if she wanted to stop, but she said she would rather get it over with. _"Don't leave me,"_ she begged him. _"I will stay with you. This is in the past, I am with you now,"_ he promised her. They made it to the end of the memory and Severus withdrew from her mind. _"I want you to think about your safe place now while I withdraw. Long deep breaths."_ She returned to the cottage, seeing its worn wooden furniture and plank floor, the old copper pots and pans that hung along the wall, the fire sparkling in the old wood stove. Finally she opened her eyes, meeting his, he was still kneeling in front of her.

"May I heal your lip?" he asked her gently and she noticed how it had started throbbing. At her nod he traced it with a thumb, chanting the healing incantation.

While Severus informed the others about what had happened, she went to the bathroom for a quick shower and a change of clothes. She would have wanted to take longer to scrub the memories off her skin but not with the Headmistress and Professor Lupin in the common room.

When she made it back the others went silent. Professor Lupin looked embarrassed while Professor McGonagall seemed angry and flustered.

"What happens now?" she said in a near whisper.

"Mr Potter could be expelled for what he tried to do to you," Professor McGonagall started to say.

She shook her head vigorously. "He's still my friend. I won't trust him again, I think, but he needs help."

Severus shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bloody stupid Gryffindor loyalty," he muttered to no one in particular.

Draco nodded while Professor Lupin looked embarrassed for some reason. Hermione looked at Harry who had been let up from the floor but now sat in the corner, completely still. She couldn't tell if he was bound or not but suspected that he was to at least some extent.

Severus fixed Lupin with a direct stare. "The boy cannot be left alone. He might very well try to kill himself, and surely the Minister of Magic would be somewhat upset if the Boy Who Continued To Live died at his own hand while at Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall gasped and looked at both Harry and Hermione disapprovingly. Somehow her attitude made Hermione annoyed, it was as if the Headmistress despite her extensive experience didn't expect her students to behave in any way different from her idealised world view, and when reality hit she couldn't exactly handle it.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Professor Lupin spoke up first. "I'll watch him tonight. I think Harry needs a project of his own to help him centre himself again. Something benign that takes a lot of effort. Perhaps … perhaps you would be willing to teach him to become an Animagus, Minerva?"

Professor McGonagall looked astonished but Hermione could see how that might be a good idea.

Severus nodded slowly. "For once you have a not terrible idea, wolf. However, he needs to be taken away from the school for a while too. He will need constant supervision and he must not be allowed anywhere near Miss Granger alone again. He should be with someone he can trust and respect, and he needs to understand the consequences of his actions."

Professor McGonagall seemed to have caught up with the idea and nodded.

"Good thinking, both of you. I will owl Alastor and ask if he could take Mr Potter in for a while, and I agree with the Animagus idea if he is amenable. Remus, take him to your quarters for now and make sure he doesn't do anything drastic."

"We'll have the house elves pack up his things," Professor Lupin agreed and turned to face her. "Hermione, he still has James' cloak, doesn't he?"

She nodded. "And the map." She saw Severus and Professor McGonagall frown in confusion.

"I'll confiscate them both for a while, then." Professor Lupin nodded at her.

Professor McGonagall turned to face her again. "Miss Granger, will you be alright for now or do you want to go to the hospital wing? Do you want me to stay, or Remus?"

She shook her head vigorously but before she could say anything, Severus spoke up.

"You must go owl Alastor, and Remus needs to watch Mr Potter tonight. That leaves me, then. If you are amenable to my presence, Miss Granger?" he asked her directly with a raised eyebrow and the tiniest smirk.

She nodded. "That will be acceptable, Professor," she half whispered.

Professor McGonagall wore that pinched frown of slight disapproval again but merely said, "Very well then. Mr Malfoy, I trust you can take the Head Student duties on your own tomorrow?"

The two Gryffindor professors plus Harry left the room and they were finally alone, plus Draco whom she suddenly remembered was present.

"Draco. Thank you. You saved me."

The young aristocrat regarded her with a solemn expression. "I'm glad I made it in time. I don't like violence and especially not sexual assault."

Hermione hugged him hard to his visible discomfort. "Thank you again."

"Will you be alright? I could ask Ginny to come here?"

"Thanks, but I'll manage."

She crossed her arms across her waist, trying to not shatter from adrenaline and fear, as if her arms could hold her together physically.

Draco looked at Severus who nodded. "I shall ensure she's safe. Go to bed, Draco. You did well tonight."

The blond boy nodded and retreated to his own chambers, visibly relieved to be freed from that duty.

"What do you need of me?" he asked her quietly when they were alone again. He was leaning against the mantelpiece and watched her calmly.

"Could I stay with you tonight, sir?" she half whispered. She didn't want to be alone.

"Of course," he said immediately. "Collect whatever you need, I shall wait for you here. And please call me Severus when we are alone."

She retreated to her chambers again and made a small bundle of her pyjamas, fresh clothes, a toothbrush and hair products. He raised an eyebrow at her when he saw what she brought.

"Moving in?" A small crooked smirk caused his eyes to light up. "Never mind, your library is still intact. Come through the Floo, I will go first and unward it for you."

She followed him through the flames and managed not to fall over as she was deposited in his quarters. Floo travel always made her feel clumsy and disoriented, and even nauseous on longer trips.

"Maybe some tea would not go remiss? I rather suspect you can't sleep yet anyway, or what do you say?"

He gestured towards the seats by the fireplace and sunk down in an armchair. She exhaled another shaky breath and nodded, taking a seat on the couch and kicking off her shoes, pulling her feet up under herself, and he summoned a woollen blanket over her legs before calling for Winky and asking for tea for two. The elf swiftly complied and returned nearly immediately with a tea set.

She was staring into the fire without seeing it, instead seeing Harry's face up way too close, feeling his weight pinning her down, his hard erection poking her thigh, his hands roaming, hearing his panting breath.

"Hermione!"

Vaguely she became aware of someone calling her name. Oh. Severus. It seemed like he had been trying to get her attention a while.

"Remember your safe place? Return there now, Hermione. Listen to your breathing. In … out. Slower, deeper. Good."

She struggled to try to do what he said, recalling the cottage and picturing herself by the kitchen table. Slowly reality started to seep back but then the tears came. She dimly registered him sitting down next to her, pushing her onto his lap. She buried her head in his shoulder and clung tightly to him while she sobbed. Eventually the tears dried out and she became aware of where, exactly, she was.

"I'm sorry," she tried to say. He merely handed her a handkerchief.

"No matter. Tea? How do you take it?"

"White, no sugar. Thank you." She scrambled off his lap so that he could pour but still sat close enough for their thighs to touch.

"How come you're so good at this?" she suddenly asked.

He merely raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean how to handle serious events? You must recall that I've been a Head of House for fifteen years or so. I have seen my fair share of disasters and difficult situations."

"But Professor McGonagall isn't … I mean …"

"Well, as you have undoubtedly already noticed, Minerva prefers to live in the kind of world where everything is as it should be, rather than in the real world where things are as they are. Besides, I oftentimes simply remember how situations were handled when I was affected, and try to act in the way I would have wanted to be met."

"Oh. I'm sorry." She felt bad for him, for having too many experiences to draw from, for having been treated abysmally by nearly everyone.

That eyebrow again. "Whatever for now? Neither of those statements is in any way related to anything you have done."

She smiled, somewhat shakily, and agreed with him. "Minerva is rather biased too, isn't she?"

"Oh, yes, certainly, although not quite as much as Albus who tended to think that Gryffindor boys could do no wrong."

"Boys especially?"

"Oh, most definitely, did you never notice that? He never really thought much of witches with a few exceptions, such as Minerva of course. But not most female students, he never noticed them. I suspect that it was partly due to the fact that he was gay although he never did anything inappropriate with students as far as I know."

She fell silent, thinking about his words about the old Headmaster. Professor Dumbledore had never had any close interactions with her, unlike with Harry, not that she had sought him out either. She couldn't exactly picture him as gay either. Or straight, for that matter. He seemed to have been too old for such things, which she of course knew was a silly thing to assume.

Winky had brought a chocolate cake too and Severus handed her a plate when he saw her eyeing it. It was deliciously rich and she could feel her energy returning with the chocolate. She realised that she must have moaned without meaning to when she saw Severus' almost hungry expression, watching her lips.

"Try some." She held out her spoon to him. He declined, as she had expected him to. "I insist," she said and didn't miss the widening of his eyes when he reluctantly plucked the piece from the spoon with his lips. Apparently he did like chocolate cake too. She smiled impishly and fed him another piece, taking turns with eating herself. It felt oddly intimate to share a piece of chocolate cake, in a way even more intimate than their previous heated encounter.

"I talked to Draco about your research," she informed him once they were out of cake.

"Good."

He had put his arm loosely around her and was idly playing with her hair. She in turn was leaning against his shoulder, a hand resting lightly on his thigh. It felt safe, leaning on him. Comforting. He smelled of Potions fumes and sandalwood.

"Would you tell me about it?"

She turned her head to look up at his profile. No, she thought, he wasn't exactly conventionally pretty, but something about him drew her in. There was something arresting about his stern profile, those intense eyes and the hooked nose.

"It is getting rather late but I will give you the short version." He was absentmindedly tracing his lip with his index finger again, distracting her.

"So you heard that Narcissa is currently held asleep until we think we can break the curse?" At her nod, he continued. "We have tried several things but none have worked well so far. It is a complex problem since the curse is feeding off her belief that Draco is dead, causing her to essentially lose her mind. She is in considerable pain as well when she is awake."

Hermione gasped. "That's horrible! How long can you keep her in stasis?"

"Essentially we have about a year from the event which would take us to next summer. We cannot very well keep her sedated for much longer after that, her body and brain will deteriorate even in a magical coma and eventually going through a cure would kill her due to her weakened state."

"It must be hell for Draco." Hermione shuddered when she imagined his situation, especially coupled with the way the Malfoys were currently seen by the rest of the wizarding world. Although she had never gotten along with Draco during previous years, he had shown himself to be someone she could even consider to call friend this year.

Severus nodded briskly. "Yes, and for Lucius, he too is devastated. I hope that you can pull off this crazy scheme of yours and that you are willing to assist with the research afterwards, as long as you can play nice with Draco."

"Certainly, I want to help! I will do it."

The intensity of his gaze made her shiver again. "Very good, my lady. Now it is getting rather late and it is time to sleep."

She rose and stretched, suddenly tired.

"Do you wish to sleep beside me or did I misunderstand you? I could Transfigure a couch for you." He suddenly sounded nervous and unsure. "Or would you rather go back to your dorm?"

"No, please, I wish to stay with you," she hurried to say, all of a sudden nervous that he would turn her away. "If that is acceptable to you?"

"I would like that." His eyes softened slightly and his posture relaxed.

She beamed him a smile and picked up her pyjamas and toiletries while he opened the door to his bedroom and gestured for her to go ahead and get ready in his bathroom.

When she emerged from the bathroom he had changed into a faded black Rolling Stones t-shirt and black silk boxers. He waited for her to climb into the bed before going to the bathroom himself. She burrowed into the soft pillow and breathed in the scent of his linen that smelled vaguely of him.

He returned and settled into bed before dousing the lights. "I must admit that I am unused to having a witch in my bed, especially for sleeping only. I do hope you do not snore, for your own sake."

"I'm not used to it either. It feels nice, though."

She scooted over closer to him, putting her head on his shoulder. He pulled her close with an arm snaking around her waist, holding her gently but firmly. He burrowed his nose in her bushy hair and inhaled deeply.

"I rather agree," he said softly. She could feel his voice resonating through his chest.

She must have fallen asleep quickly because the next she knew was the sound of someone screaming. Ron was falling down in front of her and Harry, again, his whole stomach sliced open, pleading eyes meeting hers. Lucius snarled and threw a Cruciatus curse at her while Bellatrix was slitting Harry's throat, laughing. Hands on her, wet slobbering kisses, Peter Pettigrew morphing into a hundred rats all crawling up her legs.

"Hermione, it's just a dream," someone was saying, strong arms holding her.

Slowly the world started to make sense again and she sat up in bed next to a dishevelled Severus Snape who had lit a dim lamp next to his bed.

"I'm sorry, I'm such a mess," she sobbed, leaning into his arms again.

"Anyone who has been through what you have would be upset. Here, have some water." He handed her a glass.

After drinking some water and a quick bathroom visit she crawled up into bed again. He wrapped himself around her from behind, his nose half buried in her hair. She fit perfectly in front of him, matching the contours of his body. She could feel him breathing and his arm felt solid around her waist.

"You make me feel safe," she murmured sleepily, feeling his draw her a little tighter towards him in response.


	7. Another Brick In The Wall

**Another Brick In The Wall**

Severus awoke to a nose full of bushy hair and an armful of witch. She was still asleep, he noted, as was his arm that she lay on. Her chestnut brown hair was spread all over her pillow as she lay facing away from him. She smelled of warm witch, lavender and something jasmine scented. Something was swelling in his chest, an almost painful sensation, and with a start and some confusion he realised that he actually cared about her, and that it was those feelings that caused the constriction in his chest. He had been so angry yesterday, at Potter and at both Minerva and the wolf for being utterly useless, and had fought hard to keep his temper under control in order to manage the situation. He was relieved that Draco had found them, and that his godson had the good sense to call for him immediately. He needed to talk to Minerva regarding Potter but ultimately he felt that Hermione had made the right choice. The brat needed help and the wizarding world owed him more than to expel him and cast him out into the world all alone. If it was at all possible for Lily's son to be helped and rehabilitated, that was; after all it was the wizarding world's fault that the boy was messed up, what with the war and the Dark Lord and all that. If Potter didn't improve, however, his inner Slytherin side vowed to personally hunt down the messy-haired menace and shackle him in an outhouse somewhere as far from civilisation as possible, so that he couldn't hurt anyone else.

The tingling in his arm started getting worse and his full bladder insisted that he should try to disentangle himself. As gently as possible he dislodged the witch from his abused arm and pulled the covers tighter around her. He had slept exceptionally well with her in the bed despite her nightmare episode in the middle of the night. He padded off to the bathroom for a quick shower, detouring to pick up a set of clean clothes.

As he reentered his bedroom he saw her sitting up slowly, looking around the room. An enchanted window brought light in to the room since they were technically below the ground, and he had spelled it to show the view across the lawn and lake.

"Good morning," she yawned, smiling when she saw him. She looked rather adorable, messy hair and flannel pyjamas aside. He could get used to this, waking up next to her. Spending time with her. Arguing Potions theories with her.

"Indeed." He felt a smile forming in response to hers. "I'll ask the house-elves for breakfast as we seem to have slept in."

He left her alone to get dressed and walked into his sitting room to sort out just that.

When Hermione joined him, dressed in a green jumper over faded Muggle jeans, Winky had already provided a lavish breakfast for them at his dining table and he was buttering a crumpet. There was a large pot of tea held under a stasis charm to stay hot, toast, crumpets, scones, boiled eggs, some cheese and several types of jam and marmalade. The whole selection would probably have satisfied four hungry Quidditch-playing wizards, or at least eight witches of Hermione's size.

"Did Winky bring this?" she asked him, reaching for a slice of toast. He poured her some tea and nodded in response, mouth full of crumpet with rich cheddar. "Did you know she wants you to take her in?" Hermione looked at him across her teacup.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really? Good to know, I had assumed she enjoyed being here at Hogwarts."

"I thought she'd be happy now that she is free," Hermione said with a frown. She finished off her toast and reached for a boiled egg and the salt.

"Haven't you given up on your crusade yet? Did you ever ask the elves what they want?" He finished his cup of tea and poured another one.

She frowned at him over her egg which looked to be cooked to perfection, with a creamy yolk but not too runny. "Surely no one wants to be enslaved? For the record, yes I have given up. I won't try to free them. I just don't understand it?"

He considered her position and how she must have first come into contact with the house elves. For a Muggle-born, they must be one of the strangest parts of wizarding society. Subservient and totally reliant on their masters, yet undeniably bossy in very subtle ways. He reached for the scones next and started preparing one with clotted cream and strawberry jam, deciding that he might as well take advantage of the lavish breakfast.

"An elf without a Master is essentially ostracised. They are cut off not only from their humans but also from the house-elf community. All elves that belong to the same clan can talk to each other even if they are not physically near one another, but a Freed elf only hears himself. Imagine how that would feel, being cast away not only from your workplace and home but also being cut off from all your friends and relatives, no longer able to communicate with them at all. Dobby and Winky are sort of half accepted by Hogwarts but I doubt they are able to access the full elf network since they have no masters, which is partly by choice as they chose to not bond with Hogwarts."

She looked up, wide eyed. "Oh, that's horrible! Truly I didn't know that. I should have checked …"

He nodded. "Yes indeed, although little is published about elves. You could have asked them, however."

"I'm sorry." She was worrying her lower lip again and looked away with a frown.

"No matter, you have learned, right? By the way, have you discussed your future plans yet with Septima? Since you professed an interest in Arithmancy. More tea?" He raised an eyebrow at her and poured her another cup.

Hermione shook her head. "I haven't yet, I have focused on getting organised for the NEWTs and merely getting through the classes."

"In that case, I shall arrange a meeting with her and yourself later today, I doubt she is awake yet."

"Really?" Hermione stifled a giggle.

"Yes, have you failed to notice that your classes with her are always in the afternoon? She keeps similar hours to Aurora so she is usually not seen until lunch."

He followed her back to her dorm despite her protests that she did indeed know the way. Until he was absolutely certain that Potter was not in the castle anymore he refused to leave her alone. They swept through the hallways in silence, Hermione almost running to keep up with his long impatient Professor Snape stride. Draco and Ginny were in, and apparently Ginny had been briefed already about what had happened. Severus requested that both of them would look after Miss Granger, ensuring that she ate properly and didn't study all the time. They agreed despite Hermione's protests, and Ginny's barrage of questions started before Severus had even closed the door behind him, heading off to see Minerva. She must have been in a good mood lately since the password was Springbank which in his opinion hardly even counted as Scottish, although the whisky was good of course.

"There you are, Severus! I tried Flooing you but it was blocked."

Minerva was seated at her desk which was littered by the towering mountains of parchment that seemed to come with the office. He had long suspected that Albus had managed much of the paperwork by accidentally-on-purpose leaving it near Fawkes when the bird was approaching a burning day.

"Oh, was it? How odd. Whyever would I have done that? What is the current emergency?" He raised an eyebrow at her and walked over to the window, enjoying the view it provided of the castle and its surroundings. It was cloudy and fairly windy, very much an autumn day. Most of the leaves on the trees had shifted colour, giving the forest that could be seen in the distance a rusty appearance. He had always enjoyed autumn, the crisp air, the colours, a time for reflection and introspection.

She glared at him. "Alastor will be here shortly to take Mr Potter away."

He whirled around to face her. "You actually want me to be in the same room as Mad-Eye Moody?" he asked incredulously. The man had been a complete nightmare during Order meetings, always distrustful of Severus' loyalties and vocal about it.

Before she could explain her reasoning her Floo flared to life and the grizzled ex-Auror in question tumbled out of the fireplace. He looked as scruffy as always in a worn brown leather coat and muddy boots, tracking in dirt on the Headmistress' floor.

"Hello, Minerva. Severus."

Severus nodded at him warily while Minerva fussed and asked if he wanted some tea which he declined. His magical eye whirred around and checked out the whole office, clearly noticing the way Albus was fake snoring in his portrait. He took a seat across from Minerva while Severus remained by the large window.

"I got your owl and must say I'm a bit confused, Minerva. Harry Potter has had a breakdown and needs a babysitter, and you think of me?"

Severus smirked at his choice of words and waited to see how Minerva would explain it all.

"He has been suffering after the War, Alastor. Last night he assaulted a fellow student and he's since been watched by Remus as he may be a risk to both himself and others."

"Details, Minerva, if I'm to help you with this I need to know what I'm dealing with," the ex-Auror said impatiently.

Minerva fidgeted with her own teacup. "Mr Malfoy raised the alarm and summoned Severus, Remus and myself. Could you tell Alastor the details please, Severus?"

He sighed and complied. "Very well, Minerva, if you cannot stomach the details I shall, as usual. Late last night I got a Floo call from Mr Malfoy that I needed to urgently come to the Head students' quarters. As you may recall, he and Miss Granger are Head students this year and thus share a common room. When I exited the Floo I saw Mr Potter in a Full Body Bind in the corner of the room, and Miss Granger was seated on the couch, crying and covered by a blanket but not much else. Mr Malfoy informed me that he had thrown Mr Potter off Miss Granger just before said Mr Potter managed to rape her, and that he then had covered her with said blanket. I told him to call for Remus as the Gryffindor Head of House, and for Minerva as the Headmistress."

"Harry raping his friend? Outrageous!" Moody interjected. "Did you confirm it?"

Severus frowned at him, annoyed with the implied distrust of Draco. He kept talking as if the interruption hadn't happened.

"I then asked Miss Granger if she wanted to talk about it, or if she would rather share the memories in a Pensieve or by Legilimency. She chose the latter, and I saw the attack in her mind. Potter appeared to be drunk and had come to her to apologise for being a worthless loser and she consoled him before he attacked her. He managed to get almost all her clothes off and was just about to finish the deed when Draco intervened. Potter had bound her hands magically and backhanded her across her face, hard enough to split her lip, when she protested and tried to get away from him. It was also rather clear from their discussion prior to the assault that Potter seems to blame himself for the war, for his friend's death and for the alienation of himself to Miss Weasley and Miss Granger, and he did say that he thought it would all be better if he were to disappear and that he should not be alive."

Alastor nodded, frowning. "I can see why you need to get him away from here for a while, Minerva. Do you know what had happened between Harry and Ginny?"

Minerva shook her head. "All I know is that they aren't seen together anymore, Alastor."

Severus spoke up again. "Apparently they broke up because Miss Weasley found Mr Potter in bed with another witch. Rumour has it he has since moved on to other witches." He had heard some from the Slytherins and Draco, some from Hermione.

Minerva looked appalled at the loose morals displayed by her favourite Gryffindor wizard. Moody, on the other hand, didn't appear surprised and merely nodded.

"Thank you for the information, Severus. Alright, I will take the lad in for a while, perhaps until Christmas. He won't get away with using alcohol and witches as a way of dulling the pain of the war, and I will keep him plenty busy. Minerva, you will ensure that he has coursework sent over?"

"Certainly. Furthermore, I will come by regularly to give him Animagus lessons if he is willing. That should give him something to set his mind to. Thank you ever so much, Alastor."

Moody looked surprised. "An Animagus? Interesting idea. Right. Is Remus fetching him?"

Minerva nodded and began to move towards the Floo to call him.

"I will take my leave, Minerva. I have no desire to say farewell to Potter. Good luck, Alastor." Severus would probably strangle the little brat if he had to see him again anytime soon.

"Thank you, Severus," Minerva said. He nodded at them both and left the office.

~x~x~x~

Saturday afternoon saw him seated in his office chair, correcting some third-year Ravenclaw Potions essays. Despite the constant astonishment he felt at their guesswork and creative attempts at spelling, he nonetheless could correct them on autopilot while his thoughts whirred in other directions, such as towards the imminent meeting. Septima had agreed to come down after a quick discussion during their lunch, well his lunch and her breakfast, and he'd sent a note to Hermione. If his inner clock was correct she should enter in just a few minutes. He shook his head, trying to finish off the last few essays in the pile while his thoughts kept returning back to the situation at hand. Was he doing the right thing or just being a selfish bastard, wanting her for himself? _Well, of course I want her for myself,_ his inner Slytherin whispered. He knew what he wanted, but would it be right for him to try to get it or should he set her free? She didn't have much experience, after all, and might find a nice young wizard once she got out in the real world. Could he cope with the situation if that happened, if she met someone?

"Enter," he called at the sound of knocking on his office door, and she slipped in and seated herself across from him in her usual chair.

"Good evening," she murmured and nibbled her lower lip. She had changed clothes and appeared to have showered, at least.

"How are you?"

"Alright, I guess. Ginny and Luna have kept me busy all day."

She shuffled in her chair, clearly not understanding quite why he had asked her to show up in this semi-formal setting. He too felt unexpectedly nervous over how she would react.

Taking a deep breath, he began. "The reason I asked you here is because I would like to make an offer to you, together with another Professor here who will join us shortly. You expressed an interest in both Potions and Arithmancy?"

She nodded and her eyes had started to light up again.

"I should like to offer you an Apprenticeship in Potions, and if you are amenable, you may also apprentice in Arithmancy under Septima Vector. You would be able to begin the Potions part as soon as you have passed the NEWTs, and the Arithmancy part in accordance with your agreement with Septima. An Apprenticeship normally stretches for three years, but if you want to gain a Mastery in both subjects we expect that you will need four to five years. Normally I would say five but you may very well manage it faster."

She was nearly bursting with excitement and if her large grin was anything to go by she would probably accept, although he was a bit confused by the few tears that had escaped.

"Yes! Yes oh yes I want to!"

"Oh really? I couldn't tell." He couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from rising either. "Should I take that as a yes to the dual part as well, then?"

"Very emphatically, sir, it's more than I have ever dreamt of!"

"Very well, and please do call me Severus in private, remember? Septima should be here shortly to confirm her part of this. I assume you have questions. Please bear in mind that I have never before taken in an apprentice although having been one myself I am familiar with the system, and there are Apprenticeship contracts available from the Potions Guild to use as a template. Since I am planning on leaving Hogwarts after the end of this school year, you will be expected to follow to my new location wherever that turns out to be as Arithmancy is rather more portable than Potions. Typically, a Master provides room and board for his apprentice, as well as a small stipend for living expenses and any equipment, books and ingredients needed for the research."

She looked at him wide eyed. "That's more than I expected, I don't know what to say! Thank you ever so much!"

A knock at the door was followed by Septima who entered and greeted both of them.

"I see you have accepted, then?" she said to Hermione. "Good! We have some time to iron out the details and will register an Apprentice contract at the Ministry once you have passed your NEWT in Potions."

The Seventh-year Arithmancy NEWT students were supposed to do an independent project in their final year, and it was agreed that they would tweak it a little so that Hermione could use it in her Apprenticeship as well. The first two years would be spent on learning methods and approaches with a small portion of her own research, while the latter half would be more strongly focused on personal research.

"I must take my leave, I have rounds this evening. See you in class, Miss Granger. Good evening, Severus." Septima swept out of the room with a brief smile at each of them.

Hermione was still looking a bit stunned and had started chewing her lower lip again.

"What about Draco?" she eventually asked.

He raised an eyebrow again. "What of him? An apprenticeship is not the right option for him. He will do all he can to try to help his mother, however."

"I just don't want him to get mad at me for it."

"Never you mind that. He will understand."

She rose to leave and he followed her to the door. Before opening it she turned to face him again, brown eyes looking up at his. "Severus, I just want to be sure …"

"Yes?"

"Do you want this?" She was nibbling her lower lip again. _That_ _'s my job,_ his inner possessive side complained.

He was itching to kiss her again. She was close enough for him to smell her jasmine shampoo.

"More than anything, Hermione," he finally managed to say.

She smiled at him, some tension leaving her posture. "Good, so do I."

Before he could say anything she had taken a quick step towards him and threw her arms around him, catching him in a fierce but brief hug. "Thank you ever so much, Severus," she murmured indistinctly against his teaching robes. She kissed him on the cheek, spun around and was out of the door before he had managed to process what was happening.


	8. To Have and Have Not

**To Have and Have Not**

Hermione's sense of elation lasted the rest of the evening. Draco regarded her oddly when she practically bounced into their common room as he was sprawling on the couch reading another set of Herbology books.

"What's happened to you, Granger, someone snuck you a WWW product or something?"

"No … Professor Snape!" was all she managed to say.

"Uncle Severus slipped you a potion?" He looked rather sceptical.

She mock glared at him, unable to keep the grin off her face. "No! He's taking me on as an apprentice after I pass the Potions NEWT! Together with Professor Vector!"

"What?! Seriously? He has never taken an apprentice before!" Draco appeared completely stunned before impeccable upbringing took over. "Congratulations, you will do well. A dual apprenticeship takes serious commitment to pull off."

"Thank you … you're not upset then are you?"

"No, not at all, I don't want to become an apprentice, I have other plans." He grinned suddenly, making him look surprisingly boyish. "I suspect you'll get as many condolences as congratulations now, there aren't very many here that could stand being Uncle Severus' apprentice."

With newfound energy she settled in for a few hours of studying, trying first to get through the Potions texts before she gave up and settled for History of Magic instead. Her thoughts kept bouncing around all over the place before returning to a certain Potions Master. He had been unexpectedly kind when dealing with the situation with Harry and the aftermath, somehow knowing what she needed in that situation better than she did herself. He had claimed that his years as Head of Slytherin had helped, and she had to admit that his assessment of Professor McGonagall seemed painfully accurate. When she thought about it, it seemed that also Professor Dumbledore had shied from reality sometimes. She had heard a bit about the history between the Marauders and Severus, including the incident with Sirius and Remus in werewolf form, and had been appalled by everyone's treatment of the lone Slytherin. Her crush was deepening into longing for his touch, for his company, and memories of his clever hands kept her hot and bothered when she should be studying.

Her good mood lasted until she again woke herself up screaming from nightmares.

She had set a nearly impossible schedule for herself with revisions of five subjects in addition to the regular homework in all courses. Luckily, or somewhat ironically depending on perspective, the fact that Harry and Ron were now both gone helped with her time management since she didn't have to correct anyone else's essays or spend social time with them. She hadn't seen any Quidditch matches at all this term despite Ginny's pleading, and she delegated a lot of the Head Girl duties to the other Prefects. Ginny sent her meaningful looks whenever she could, but she deflected all questions since she still didn't quite know what to say. Between Draco, Neville, Luna, and Ginny, they made sure she attended meals and didn't forget to eat.

She was grateful that Harry was gone from Hogwarts as she didn't know how she would have coped with meeting him in the hallways. Slowly, fear turned to anger and she could start talking about it a little with Ginny. The two witches had set up camp in Hermione's bedroom one Friday evening with an illicitly obtained bottle of red wine. Crookshanks lay by her fireplace, tail lazily twitching as he listened to them. Ginny was insisting on getting Hermione's opinion on several dresses in the latest Madam Malkin's catalogue and Hermione was trying to ask the younger witch what was going on with her and Draco. Ginny deflected by mentioning that she had heard from Professor McGonagall that Harry was settling in with Moody and would stay there at least until after Christmas, probably returning for the start of next term.

"Good, I hope Moody can straighten him out. But seriously, Ginny, I thought you had taught him better than that? No wonder his reaction to that first kiss with Cho was 'wet'! I thought he'd drown me with slobber!"

Ginny looked at her incredulously before exploding with laughter, causing Hermione to follow suit. It felt good to laugh about it even if it still had a slightly hysterical undertone.

~x~x~x~

She had a vague recollection of her father having a relative who was a psychologist working with teenagers, and after some very carefully worded messages to her parents she had actually managed to get in touch with her uncle's wife. She had told her parents as little as possible of her years and her experiences alongside Harry, and they had never known the true extent of her involvement in a war. Draco had apparently located a Squib somewhere off the Parkinson family tree who did counselling for war veterans, and together with the Headmistress they managed to set up a plan to assess the students. Susan Bones, Hufflepuff prefect, had eagerly jumped on the idea and wanted to help out with planning, and Hermione was grateful that someone else wanted to take up the slack.

Halloween came and went. Professor McGonagall organised a feast which was a bit more understated than during Professor Dumbledore's time, but still had the castle filled with pumpkins and candles. She begged off as soon as she could and studied Herbology instead.

Wednesday and Sunday evenings were spent with Draco in Professor Snape's classroom, brewing during his office hours. They mainly worked in silence, the Professor grading essays behind his desk, and Draco and Hermione brewing at separate workstations. They would agree on a potion in advance and brew them separately, then compare the results. Occasionally Professor Snape commented on their technique or gave hints that went beyond the NEWT course, but for the most part they worked in silence. He did encourage them to experiment with techniques and ingredients, telling them to fail in creative ways now so that they got a better understanding of how to brew the potions correctly for the examination.

One Wednesday as they were cleaning their workstations, finished potions all bottled for the infirmary, he issued them a challenge of sorts.

"Next Sunday, you will have three hours to brew both Babbling Beverage and Widdershins Solution. As you well know, they take about two hours each to brew, so you must do them in parallel. Come up with a plan for how to achieve that, and make sure both potions turn out perfect."

They discussed the potions when they were back in their common room, trying to figure out the best approach. Draco argued for preparing all the ingredients first, for both brews, while Hermione thought she could start the Babbling Beverage first, and when it needed to simmer for half an hour she could set up everything for the Widdershins Solution.

"You're on, Granger. May the best brewer win."

"Right, Malfoy."

~x~x~x~

The following Saturday she was kidnapped by Ginny and Luna who insisted on her spending a few hours with them outside, although Hermione vetoed anything Quidditch related. After Hermione had moved into the Head Girl rooms, she more or less completely lost contact with the rest of the Gryffindors. Not that she missed Lavender and Parvati and the rest of her roommates but at the same time they had been part of the background noise for six years.

They bundled up in thick robes, knitted scarves and all, and crossed the still green lawn. The air was humid with the slightly sweet tang of decaying leaves, and the low November clouds that didn't let much natural light through although they had taken a break from raining. The lake looked as grey as the sky. Luna led them into the greenhouses where she apparently had a project underway growing a Brazilian plant, a large leafy thing whose large flowers glowed with a pearlescent white shimmer.

"It's beautiful," Ginny breathed, reaching for the plant but checking herself before she touched it. One never knew with magical plants, after all.

Luna smiled and tickled the flower behind its head, making it appear to lean into her touch. "Isn't it? It's a plume flower. Its scent makes it impossible to commit crimes nearby and they also pacify heliopaths."

Hermione rolled her eyes, privately, at Luna's imaginary creatures but agreed that the flower was magnificent. "Where did you get it, Luna?"

"My father received some seeds from a reader of the Quibbler, and I asked if I could try to grow it. Neville and Professor Sprout have been helping out."

They greeted Neville in one of the corners. He was occupied with a vicious-looking plant, giving it a stern talking to while prodding its soil with a stick. The plant hissed at him and tried to ensnare him with long sticky tendrils, but he deftly moved aside. They gave him a wide berth, he had a full set of protective gear on for a reason.

"What are you planning for Christmas, Hermione?" Ginny asked her as they moved deeper into the greenhouse. The air was slightly humid and much warmer than outside, allowing sensitive tropical plants to thrive in the harsh Scottish climate. They had opened up their cloaks and removed their scarves as soon as they came inside.

"I'm not quite sure yet, I think I'll stay here due to the NEWTs but I hope to see my parents as well for the actual holiday. They returned from their extended vacation tour at the end of September and I haven't seen them since before they left."

"It will be quite different at the Burrow this year. No Ron and no Harry, and no Hermione either. Can't you come a short while at least?"

Hermione nodded and but felt secretly relieved that she didn't have to go there this year. The chaos of Weasleys and overwhelming motherliness of Mrs Weasley made her anxious, and this year would be bad with Ron gone. She suspected that Molly had expected to have Hermione as a daughter-in-law as soon as they had left school. "Maybe, we'll see, Ginny. What do you both want for Christmas?"

Ginny frowned. "I don't know, it seems a little childish to make wishes now, you know? Ron never will again."

Luna smiled at Ginny. "Oh, I don't know about that. I'm sure he wishes for Chudley Cannons gadgets and chocolate frogs. Why don't you send him a Christmas gift? I still give gifts to my mother, you know."

And yet again Luna managed to surprise her, finding an unexpected angle that turned the whole issue upside down.

Ginny merely stared at the blonde girl. "Yeah … maybe I should. Thanks, Luna."

They moved into another greenhouse, this one housing Venomous Tentaculas but also some varieties of magical angel's trumpets with beautiful, deadly flowers in yellow, pink and white combinations.

"So, Ginny, how are you and Draco getting on? Anything you want to share?"

"Hermione!" Ginny blushed and shot her a glare but Luna merely watched the redhead girl with a secret smile.

"He's grown up a lot," Luna remarked.

Hermione had to agree with that. He was completely different from earlier years, more cautions and analytical, thinking for himself rather than letting Daddy Dearest dictate his opinions. He must have had a hellish sixth year, she thought.

"Yes, he has. We've talked a fair bit this term. He's been good to me, and he's a good kisser." Ginny tilted her head at them, as if daring them to disagree.

"Good for you, well for both of you," Hermione said.

"Thanks, any updates on your end, then?" Ginny said with a raised eyebrow at her.

Hermione blushed scarlet. "No, nothing at all has happened, the only thing going on is the apprenticeship but I already mentioned that."

Luna nodded at her, looking serene as ever. She had plucked a few flowers to put behind her ears. One of them appeared to be courting another flower. "It's a good starting point for a relationship."

Ginny started laughing. "Hermione and Professor Snape? Really, Luna?"

As Hermione blushed even worse and refused to say something, Ginny seemed to catch on. She gave her a wide-eyed, calculating look.

"Really, Hermione? Are you telling me you have snogged Professor Snape? And he was good, you said earlier? Oh Merlin! You have actually _snogged_ Professor _Snape_! Do you think his … umm … tool is matches his nose in size?" Ginny started laughing.

"They're a good match," Luna said matter-of-factly.

Hermione wanted to sink into the ground. She should have known better than to bring up such associations with Ginny and Luna who were both annoyingly perceptive sometimes. At the same time, she did trust both of them not to spread it, and it was good to have someone to share it with. She glared at the redhead and crossed her arms, barely stopping herself from stomping her feet.

"Fine, I admit, I have a crush on Professor Severus Snape, soon to be my Master. Yes I've kissed him. Yes it was good. No I won't give you any details. I still don't know anything either about what's to happen, alright?"

Ginny calmed down and nodded with a thoughtful frown. "Yeah, Luna is right, the two of you do make sense together, but you should be careful as long as you're his student."

"That explains why you want to pass Potions early," Luna said suddenly.

"I also do want to help him with some research and I didn't expect to be offered a dual apprenticeship," Hermione said grumpily, feeling a bit silly for sulking but still a bit put off by Ginny's reactions.

"You'll do fine, just remember to stay true to yourself," Luna told her with one of her special Luna smiles.

They made their way back to the castle for dinner, picking up Neville along the way. As they walked back, Hermione felt relieved to be surrounded by friends that accepted her for what she was, and who would keep her secrets if she asked them to.

"Thanks for the company, this was a good idea," she told the other girls as they entered the Great Hall.

"There will be good days again, once the darkness has passed," Luna told her before she departed for the Ravenclaw table.

"She's better than Trelawney," Ginny remarked as they made their way to find seats at the Gryffindor table.

Hermione nodded. "She's one of a kind."

She had to force herself to eat a little, picking at the cod and potatoes. Nothing tasted of much anymore.

~x~x~x~

That night she once again woke herself up screaming after a nightmare, despite having had such a nice time outdoors. Crookshanks looked at her grumpily as she rose from the bed at four in the morning, unwilling to go back to sleep, but the half-Kneazle soon made the best of the situation and burrowed down in her still warm covers. She stumbled into the bathroom and turned the taps with shaking, numb hands, washing her face to try to wake up. She pulled on her woollen slippers and a dark grey fleece dressing robe, a Christmas gift from her aunt some years past which was highly useful in the Scottish castle, and padded out to the common room she shared with Draco.

Biting her lower lip, she frowned as she assessed the room in the dim candle light. The couch where Harry had assaulted her got Transfigured from a pale green velvet Chesterfield sofa to a modern squarish-looking thing in a perky orange with chromed legs which looked decidedly out of place in the Wizarding world. _Draco can change it to something else if he doesn_ _'t like it,_ she thought. The redesign didn't seem to be enough, however, so she moved one of the armchairs away from the sofa to the other side of the room, in the corner by the fireplace. She added a side table and a charmed reading light, for good measure.

Her bad conscience over putting elves to work warred with her need for something to distract herself with, but eventually her stomach won out.

"Winky?" she called tentatively.

The house-elf looked a bit sleepy but at the same time eager to please.

"What does Missy Head Girl wants?" Winky asked.

"Sorry to bother you this early, could I have a pot of tea please?"

"Winky is happy to help!"

The elf returned promptly with said tea service, a steaming pot of tea with milk and sugar on the side, and a small mountain of scones with clotted cream and jam.

"Thank you, and sorry again for calling you this early."

"If Missy Head Girl wants to helps Winky, Missy Head Girl will tell Master of Potions to bonds with Winky," the elf declared solemnly before disappearing again.

Hermione settled in with a novel and poured herself a cup of tea to go with a piece of scone which she dutifully prepared since Winky had brought it and she didn't want to waste the elf's efforts. Her hands were still shaking and numb although she didn't recall the details of the dream.

The rest of the day was mainly spent in the library, frantically studying Herbology and Astronomy although she still found it hard to concentrate. Finally she met up with Draco in the dungeons, relieved to go back to the sanctuary of the dank, dark and dreary Potions classroom. _And dull, and damp, and dismal. Hmm. And delightful, desirable and dazzling? No that didn_ _'t quite work._ Her inner monologue made her miss what Professor Snape had been saying as he invited them in.

"As I was saying, Miss Granger, this is not a part of your NEWT examinations but if you can handle this task you will do well on the test."

He eyed her sharply but she merely blushed and apologised for woolgathering, before she went to set up her station and fetch ingredients.

She was halfway through the preparations for the first potion before her brain caught up and kicked into gear, but she got it simmering on a low heat and started on the second one. It seemed she had misjudged the timing, however, and she found herself frantically chopping roots, stirring the first cauldron and dumping ingredients in the second. Finally she got it under control, seeing that Draco was well on his way to finish both potions. He had managed to bottle both his potions by the time she finished the Widdershins Solution and let it simmer for the final few minutes. The consistency was slightly too runny but it was still an adequate attempt. Draco's two bottles looked perfect, however. She glared at the blond boy for having the audacity to beat her.

"A worthy attempt. Both of you, write no more than one foot about what you have learned from this and what you could have done differently until Thursday."

Hermione glared at Professor Snape too, for good measure, and stalked off to clear her workbench muttering under her breath. Stupid potion for not coming out alright. And what did he mean, one foot? There was no way she could fit everything on a parchment that short.

She hadn't asked for more Dreamless Sleep. It felt as if she was going insane, her mind shattered in a thousand little pieces like a broken mirror.


	9. Common Disaster

**Common Disaster**

Once Septima and Miss Granger — Hermione — had left his office after their meeting, it felt like a large weight had lifted off his shoulders. Although he had been reasonably sure that she wanted to go ahead with the apprenticeship, hearing her confirm it was nonetheless a relief. She would get a stellar training in both Potions and Arithmancy and become a force of nature, or magic perhaps, and someone to be reckoned with. More importantly, she would be with him for several more years, and she had agreed on her own and even sounded enthusiastic about it, to his astonishment. People didn't usually want to spend time with him, in his experience. It just didn't happen.

The following day was a Sunday and he felt unusually at peace as he wrapped up the brewing in his private lab, decanting potions for the Infirmary and having finished the base for another trial for Narcissa. The pristine workspace was carefully crafted over the years to fit him perfectly, and would undoubtedly be among the places he'd miss the most when leaving Hogwarts. It was warded against basically everyone, and although Albus had known of the room he had never been allowed access. Minerva didn't even know of its existence, as far as he was aware. He had several workbenches set up in the middle of the room for ingredient preparation, with various chopping boards, knives, bowls and other useful tools at carefully designated spots, and two of the walls held various bubbling cauldrons with magical exhaust hoods above them to clear out most of the heat and humidity. The wall closest to the doorway up to his chambers held a long writing desk with several shelves where he stocked his Potions lab journals and various reference materials, and the door to his storage room was situated on the other side of the writing desk. The final wall had a small hearth with a pot of Floo powder mainly for emergency deliveries of potions to the Infirmary, and a sink for cleaning up the equipment. Although his classroom was dark and dreary, he had whitewashed the walls of his lab and ensured that the lighting was more than adequate.

He wondered what it would be like to bring Hermione down to the lab as an apprentice. Would she mess up his order, insist on playing music, or forget to write proper lab notes? He doubted it but since he hadn't worked together with anyone since his own apprentice days it was hard to predict how it would work out. His own apprenticeship was best left forgotten, in any case, and he had long since filed away his treatment under the category of "when in this situation, do exactly the opposite of how Severus was treated", as with most of his other life experiences. Would she be able to cope with his caustic moods and need for a peaceful environment, or would she incessantly ask him questions about anything and everything, as in the classroom? Could she learn to stand him? Could there perhaps even be a chance for … more? Companionship, friendship, a relationship even? It was hard to fathom what it would be like, but although he was terrified he was still oddly elated to get the chance to pursue it.

~x~x~x~

Halloween came and went and he endured the feast that Minerva arranged in the Great Hall. She was more subdued than Albus had been, luckily, and the feast felt less bothersome than it used to. With the war won and his duty to protect Potter fulfilled he found that the old memories of Lily didn't quite hurt as much, although they were still very vivid. Albus had always seemed to enjoy prodding him where it hurt but he had spent many a Halloween night completely plastered, alone in his chambers, and he had to admit that Albus had at least tried to ensure that he didn't drink quite so much by forcing him to attend the feast.

~x~x~x~

His fireplace flared to life, but the wards he had placed on it meant that callers weren't simply let through without his approval. After checking the identity of the caller, he reluctantly allowed the connection to solidify. A blond male head materialised in the sickly green flames.

"Lucius."

"Severus, how kind of you to make room for me in your busy schedule."

Severus raised an eyebrow at him, not at all in the mood to deal with a snippy aristocrat. "Well, I do happen to have a job after all, although the demise of two madmen has made my days considerably less hectic."

"Indeed, old friend. Care to step through?"

Severus frowned as he thought about it but couldn't see any reason not to, and so he nodded at Lucius and soon joined the Malfoy patriarch in his study. The older man seemed to have aged fifteen years ever since the return of the Dark Lord, and even the end of the war hadn't helped him regain his vigour. He was currently on house arrest awaiting trial, and didn't have much to do with his time apart from drinking too much alcohol and brooding. His use of magic was being monitored by an ankle bracelet which also hindered him from moving from the Manor grounds without being accompanied by an Auror. Narcissa was sedated except for an hour a week which she spent screaming while the house-elves tended to her. Lucius had been there for the first few months but the last couple of weeks he had been as far away as possible in the Manor when that happened. The expansive gardens were unkempt and even his white peacocks were wilting.

Lucius beckoned for him to sit in one of the rich burgundy leather armchairs by the fireplace, and promptly poured a massive amount of very expensive cognac in a crystal glass for his guest. Severus wasn't one to turn down good alcohol when offered, but nonetheless his sometimes friend had been overdoing it of late.

"They have a date now for the trial. Just after Christmas." Lucius drained half his glass, not looking at Severus.

"Good. Who is your solicitor?"

"I haven't talked to him yet," Lucius murmured. He was staring at the fire without seeing it, looking drained, haggard and dejected.

Severus put his glass down on the side table, glaring at the other man. "Merlin's balls, Lucius! You must fight this! For Draco's sake, for Cissy's sake!"

"Don't bring her into this!"

"I will not spend all my spare time trying to get her back if you get yourself locked up in Azkaban on purpose. Do you really fail to see that you are about to make the same mistake again as you did when the Dark Lord was your guest here in this house? You are giving up the fight before it has even begun. Draco found the strength to figure out what he believed to be right and fought for it, why do you insist on keeling over as soon as it gets tough? Are you a Malfoy or what?"

Lucius glared at him, finally showing a little bit of spark in those pale grey eyes. "I shall thank you not to insult me in my own house, Severus Snape! As for Cissy, she is no better now than she was after your neat little deception this summer! I see no proof of you helping her!"

"Oh, do shut up, Lucius, you know I am right, as always. Now clean yourself up, get sober and stop moping. Sulking looks as bad on you as it does on Draco, and I have seen more of that than I'd ever care to during his years at Hogwarts. You owe it to your son to figure out what you are willing to fight for."

Severus glared at Lucius and rose to leave. He hadn't finished his drink but didn't feel the urge to, either. He tossed some Floo powder into the hearth and stepped back into his quarters.

~x~x~x~

Another Tuesday dawned and Severus made it up to the Great Hall for breakfast. The Hall was busy with the low chatter of students as everyone got their fill of tea or coffee and whatever sustenance they preferred. He spotted Draco sitting next to Mr Zabini at the Slytherin table, apparently deep in a discussion. It seemed Draco was finally let back into the fold of the Slytherins, to Severus' relief. Mr Nott and Miss Davis were listening, as well as few sixth-years. Scanning the Gryffindor table next he saw Hermione sitting next to Longbottom, idly picking at her food and not looking up from her teacup. Severus was getting concerned by Hermione's increasingly apathetic and haggard appearance. She had almost failed his challenge last Sunday and had seemed wan and listless in her regular classes for quite some time. Clearly her nightmares weren't getting any better.

A flutter of wings could be heard in the Hall as the owls brought the day's post and newspapers for those that bought such trash. He didn't expect any correspondence and was surprised to see a large raven with a haughty expression beelining for Severus' toast and boiled eggs. Somewhat surprisingly, it managed to drop its missive next to the plate rather than in it. It cocked its head at him and settled opposite him on the table, to the curious eyes of all the other teachers save Trelawney who seemed to be snoring in her seat. Grumbling, he opened the rather fancy seal with what looked like a P with a snake slithering around the letter, surrounded by leaves. He scanned the note quickly.

 _To Severus Snape, Potions Master, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _With the recent and unmourned demise of Iodocus Prince, heir to the Prince family name and estate, an enchantment was lifted that hid your heritage from my knowledge. I would therefore wish to remedy this lack of contact between us, and will answer any questions you may have about your family history._

 _You are hereby invited to tea on Sunday of this week, or if that doesn_ _'t suit you, the following Sunday, at Prince Hall in Worcestershire. The Floo will be open for twenty minutes from 3 pm. Please give your answer to Ignis who delivered the letter. She is fond of raisins, by the way._

 _Sincerely yours,_

 _Aemiliana Prince_

Now that was a surprising turn of events. He didn't quite recognise the name Aemiliana. He did know of Iodocus however, he had been a Death Eater of lesser standing who had died in an Auror raid a month ago. He'd been older than Severus or Lucius by maybe fifteen or twenty years, it was hard to tell exactly. The man had been unpleasant, rather stupid and fervently fanatical in his worship of the Dark Lord, and Severus had been relieved to hear of his death.

The note intrigued him. A year ago he would have scoffed and incinerated it immediately, but now he found himself curious. He _accio_ 'ed a few raisins from Filius' muesli bowl and handed them to the raven who chirped at him, an oddly metallic sound.

"Tell your mistress that I shall be there on Sunday," he told the bird quietly. She seemed to bob her head in reply.

The bird finished its raisins, cawed once and took off through the hall, to the general stares of staff and several of the students. He studiously ignored his colleagues, glared at the students at large and went back to his porridge. From the corner of his eye he could see Minerva huffing at him which got his spirits up slightly. Minerva-baiting was, after all, the best part of staying at Hogwarts.

~x~x~x~

When Hermione nearly caused an explosion in the next Potions class he knew he had to do something. She looked completely worn out.

"Stay after class, Miss Granger."

Hermione barely reacted when he Vanished the mess, banished the unused ingredients to the cupboard and sent her cauldron for cleaning. She merely sat at her desk, staring vacantly at nothing, while the other students bottled their more or less successful brews, with emphasis on less, and filed out of the classroom. Draco shot him a frown and tilted his head in her direction but he waved him off. The young man nodded and left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

He walked up to her and leaned against the bench in front of hers.

"Now you will tell me what is wrong, and I will tell you what we do about it," he stated firmly.

She gave a start, as if coming out of a dream, and slowly focused her gaze on him.

"I just can't anymore," she half whispered.

"Tell me," he repeated.

Her eyes started to water but she didn't look away from him.

"Everywhere I look I see Ron dying, or hear someone fall, or get Crucio'd by Bellatrix, or Harry is holding me down and pulling off my clothes, or everything at once. I jump at shadows, I can't sleep, everything tastes of dust and ashes and it feels as if I'm behind a sheet of glass, nothing gets through, no feelings no sensations. I can't do this anymore."

He handed her a handkerchief. It seemed as if it was a wizard's lot in life to carry handkerchiefs for his witches, since none of the witches he knew ever seemed to have one on them, yet they were inevitably the ones in need of one. She looked at it oddly before remembering what it was to be used for. He opened the door to his office and summoned a few vials from his private stores.

"Today is Friday. You shall go to dinner and have something to eat, and then you are to go directly back up to your chambers and have a bath. You will add the full contents of the large vial to the bathwater. While you are in there, you are to return in your mind to your safe place, remember?"

She nodded with a frown, apparently still a bit confused.

"Once you are done with the bath, you are to go directly to bed. This is one dose of Dreamless Sleep and I want you to take all of it tonight. Tomorrow, you will have breakfast in the Great Hall and then come down to my quarters afterwards and we will sort out your bad memories."

"But I have rounds tonight …" she protested feebly.

"No you don't. I shall take them myself. Winky!"

Winky popped into view instantly and eyed him eagerly. "What can Winky do for Master of Potions?"

Hermione glared at him while he relayed the instructions to the elf who promised to ensure that Miss Head Girl would follow them. She rose to leave and he followed her to the classroom door.

"We will sort you out, Hermione, but if I am to help you tomorrow I need you to have eaten and slept properly. Remember to go back to your safe place, make it feel real even if you add new details that were not in the actual cottage. Make it yours."

He itched to hold her tight, to kiss her forehead and tell her that everything would be alright. Unfortunately he knew what it was like to experience what she was going through, he had been there himself and hadn't had much help in pulling himself out. The technique he had ended up with was mainly self-taught, invented by accident and necessity to keep him functioning. She forestalled him by turning around and hugging him briefly before leaving, still with his handkerchief in hand.

~x~x~x~

The next morning he made an effort to have breakfast in the Great Hall to forestall any comments from Minerva. Hermione was seated at the Gryffindor table and it looked as if she was eating something at least. Bathsheda Babbling, the Ancient Runes professor, was seated to his left and, well, babbling about something which he didn't listen to. He probably cut her off mid-sentence when he rose and left the table, but if she wasn't used to his manners by now her memory would have to be worse than Trelawney's.

He felt oddly nervous when he prepared the final things in his quarters before she was due to arrive, not much looking forward to what he was about to do but there didn't seem to be any better options. Finally there was a tentative knock on his door and he let her in.

"Good morning," she said quietly and bit her lower lip. She was clearly nervous. Since it was the weekend she had dressed in a pair of blue Muggle jeans and a cream woollen polo shirt. The jeans hung loosely off her hips, she must have lost weight since she bought them, and the polo was large and baggy.

"Come," he merely said and gestured towards the dining table where Albus' old Pensieve lay. He had already carefully deposited memories inside it, and they swirled in the bowl like pale grey smoke.

"I presume that most of what bothers you stems from the day of the final battle, as it were?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded mutely. "In that case, in order for you to come to terms with it we will together review my memories of that day. Have you used a Pensieve before?"

She shook her head, still not speaking, and he explained how it worked. He had upgraded Albus' model with the ability to freeze the memory in place which was sometimes useful for figuring out the sequence of events, and he thought it might be handy if she got overwhelmed.

"Did you follow my instructions yesterday?"

"Yes, I did." Her eyes softened somewhat.

"Excellent. Now I want you to close your eyes and return to your safe place again. Do you see it? Take deep slow breaths and relax."

She was swaying on her feet and he hurried to steady her with an arm around her shoulders, but she nodded at least. Finally her breathing evened out and he felt her relaxing in his grip.

"Good, open your eyes and come back. Remember your safe place. Now we shall enter this memory, together, and view it. At any time you may simply say Freeze and the memory will stop. If you feel anxious I want you to do that and think of your safe place, and then simply say Unfreeze when you are ready to continue. We will look at all of it, today."

"What if I can't?"

"I am with you all the way, you can do this. Your mind needs to learn that these events are already in the past and cannot hurt you again. You will see things a bit differently from my memory rather than your own."

Squaring her shoulders and calling on that fabled Gryffindor courage she bit her lower lip, nodded and both of them plunged into the Pensieve.

The experience of falling through the mist was disconcerting at first, but soon the fog cleared and they were deposited just outside the large, forbidding silvery gates of Malfoy Manor. Severus was clad in Death Eater robes but wasn't wearing the hood or mask and met up with the small team that would attempt to infiltrate the Dark Lord's holdings. It was very early in the morning, there was still mist dancing in the fields and the sun had barely risen.

" _I got the message the evening before via the communications galleon and sent a message via Winky to Lucius,"_ Severus mentioned to the present-day Hermione beside him. They watched their memory counterparts meet. The pitifully small delegation consisted of the Trio, Bill Weasley, Draco and Kingsley Shacklebolt, all dressed in sensible cardigans and trousers in dark, muted colours which looked somewhat odd on Kingsley who was known for his choice of colours.

"Professor," Weasley Jr said.

" _Freeze!"_ Hermione gasped, tears already streaming down her face. The scene around them froze, Potter in the middle of an odd grimace, Weasley looking nervous, Severus scowling as usual.

" _Breathe, Hermione. Weasley did well, you know that. He is still your friend. You still have the memories. Go back to your Safe Place if you need."_

After a few minutes, she nodded and they continued through the memory.

"Are we all set?" Memory Severus said with a raised eyebrow at the group in general.

"Soon," Bill answered.

" _This plan was rather insane but well plotted. Were you involved in the planning, Hermione? I was never privy to the details."_

" _Yes, and there were Arithmantic calculations done on the odds and how to best go about it."_

Some time passed before they were joined by the Weasley twins. Weasley Jr spoke up again, addressing memory Severus. The young man looked nervous but determined.

"Alright, let's call on Mr Malfoy. Everyone clear on what to do?"

They all answered in the affirmative even if some of them looked slightly nauseous. Severus told Draco to call a house elf which was dispatched with a message for Lucius. Within a few minutes, the blond aristocrat sauntered up from the house and let himself through the gates which automatically closed again behind him. He was impeccably dressed as usual in a cream coat with an elaborate swirling pattern, white shirt and emerald green vest and appeared to have stayed up through the night rather than having just woken up.

" _I never understood why you trusted him,"_ Hermione told him.

" _I can show you that at a later time. You should never completely trust Lucius, he would get terribly offended if you did. Can you see that he was very nervous already here? His jaw is twitching."_

Hermione nodded and they continued watching the scene.

"Severus," Lucius said and nodded to his Death Eater colleague. Severus inclined his head in response.

Lucius' eyes lit on Draco and everyone else held their breaths. Draco regarded him coldly.

"Draco …"

"Lucius."

"You have made me proud, Draco."

Draco crossed his arms. "Pity I can't say the same about you. I did what I had to do. If you betray us now you shall never see me again, except for when I hunt you down and kill you."

Draco's father sighed and bowed his head. "It shall never come to that. Let's get this underway so that we can finish off this sorry tale."

Weasley Jr stepped forward together with Memory-Hermione and Potter.

"Lord Malfoy, are you willing to help us?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow. He was nearly as good at it as Severus was. "Indeed, Mr Weasley. By the way, Antonin Dolohov is dead, as is Augustus Rookwood."

"By your hand?" Bill interjected.

"Who else's? I was planning to get the rat and my insane sister-in-law too but ran out of opportunities. They should still be asleep but both of them are unpredictable."

"Who is in the Manor now?" Kingsley asked.

Lucius nodded at him. "Three Snatchers, Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan, Wormtail and Yaxley. Cissy is sedated in another wing of the house."

" _Do you understand now why Lucius was so angry at Bellatrix?"_ Severus asked Hermione as they watched the memory continue. She nodded.

" _Yes, it makes sense but he was rather frightening."_

Lucius pulled out his Death Eater robes, opened the wards and they all entered the Manor gardens, beautiful in the early morning light. The dew had not yet evaporated, droplets glittering off the rose bushes like tiny gemstones. Bill and Draco were to move to the Summer Pavilion to start their Summoning ritual, and the Weasley twins would guard them and also coordinate the different groups via the linked Galleons. Severus handed Draco a potion against the pain of the Summons, and gave one to Lucius as well.

They continued in silence through the gardens, taking a circumspect route along gravel paths that were mostly hidden from view of the Manor by large hedges. Signs of neglect were beginning to show since Narcissa was no longer able to direct the elves who weren't allowed to oversee the gardening independently. Some weeds along the path, a certain unruliness to the hedges, withered flowers that hadn't been removed. Lucius led them to the servants' entrance off the side of the Manor that led directly to the store rooms and then the large kitchen, where three elves were startled to see their Master and the other intruders as they were busy preparing for breakfast.

"Wait," Miss Granger said before they left the kitchen and turned towards the elves. Weasley Jr groaned.

"We need to move," Potter said. She ignored him and turned to face Lucius.

"Mr Malfoy, would you think your elves might be able to assist us?"

Lucius frowned and looked at the elves who nodded at him, eager to please. "An interesting thought, they can at least warn us in case of trouble."

They split up after reaching the main levels of the grand mansion via a grand stone staircase. Severus, Lucius and Kingsley went to search for the other Death Eaters in the house. The youths were to lay low for a while before sneaking off after them, tracking their progress via the coins. Lucius swiftly led the way to the guest wing where the Lestranges were supposed to stay, although Severus doubted that Bellatrix was there. Along the way they took out two of the Snatchers, leaving them bound in Kingsley's Auror-class Petrificus Totalus in the corner of a bedroom.

"Kingsley," Severus murmured at the dark Auror.

"Yes?"

"We will not be as lenient with the Lestranges. Especially Bellatrix. Nor with Yaxley and the little rat. Do you as an Auror have a problem with that?"

Kingsley winced but nodded, clearly understanding what he was alluding to. "In this case, I have no problem whatsoever with anything regarding those you mentioned. We're at war. They've more than clearly shown what side they're on and we can't leave them for someone else to rescue behind our backs."

Severus nodded and Lucius beckoned both of them forward.

"The wards tell me the brothers are in, but Bella Bitch is not here, and I don't sense any others close by," Lucius murmured.

Kingsley nodded. "Who first?"

"Both, ideally. I'll deal with Rabastan if the two of you take out Rodolphus. They're in adjacent rooms so we don't want one to warn the other."

" _I cannot fast forward the memory unfortunately. We are going after the two brothers. There is no need for you to watch this, close your eyes and return to your safe place if you wish. Are you okay?"_ Hermione bit her lip and nodded but sought his hand.

It was brief, but messy. Lucius positioned himself outside Rabastan's door while Severus and Kingsley waited by Rodolphus'. Lucius dropped the wards on both doors and signalled to them to get going. Severus went first through the door but Kingsley followed quickly and efficiently, Auror-style. Severus cast a Silencio on the sleeping man on the bed and verified that they had the right person, and Kingsley cast a Stunner and a Suffocation curse on him. Rodolphus was gone before he even realised it, made obvious by the way his bowels emptied in the bed as his soul fled.

Severus nodded at Kingsley and they quickly withdrew to check on Lucius. He had apparently chosen a bloodier approach but his target was equally dead. His impeccable Italian calf leather shoes left bloodstains on the floor and he was breathing heavily.

"Restrain yourself, Lucius," Severus told him. The blond man seemed to be close to losing control of the darkness that came with killing but calmed himself down with a visible effort and cleaned his clothes and hair with a flick of his wand.

"Did you take out Rodolphus?"

"Kingsley did."

Lucius raised an impeccable eyebrow at the Auror who appeared calm but for the tight grip on his wand, his knuckles whitening against the drab black of his coat.

"Not your first, Shacklebolt?"

"No, but the others were more of accidents in service." Kingsley took a deep breath, collecting himself.

" _Kingsley protected you against future accusations by taking out Rodolphus himself, didn't he?"_ Hermione commented. Severus nodded in response.

All of a sudden they were interrupted by one of the house elves who appeared right next to them in the corridor. She looked distressed and alternated wringing her hands and pulling at her ears, apparently trying to get them to cover her eyes.

"Master Lucius, the mad witch has the young traitors, sir!"

" _Traitors?!"_ Hermione squeaked. Severus chuckled.

"Where, Sammy?" Lucius said immediately.

"The Eastern wing, Master Lucius!"

"Are they alone?"

"Yes! But the rat is out sniffing, sir!"

"Take us there," he commanded. The elf immediately somehow managed to Apparate all three of them right in front of Bellatrix who had the three youngsters trapped in a corridor.

" _Freeze,"_ Severus said. _"Remember, this is already in the past. She cannot hurt you anymore. Are you alright to continue? You know what is coming, there is no need for you to watch it."_ Once again, Hermione nodded but she pulled herself closer to him.

" _Unfreeze,"_ he said and the scene continued playing.

Their sudden appearance caused Bellatrix to startle, ending her Crucio on Miss Granger. Potter and Weasley Jr lay bound on the floor. Severus immediately sent off a Stunner, which she deflected, but the one from Kingsley a half second later hit its target and caused her to freeze.

"Bellatrix," Lucius greeted her and walked up to her. He Summoned her wand and tossed it to Severus without looking before she managed to break free from the Stunner.

"Lucius, what is the meaning of this? You bring Shacklebolt here? Ahh, I see, how unexpected … "

Bellatrix had started smiling. Despite her situation, unarmed and without allies, she still looked fearless and dangerous. Lucius stood a little too close to her and smiled at her nastily.

"This is the end of the road for you, Bellatrix. I've been longing to do this for many years but your sister always held me back. However, given the current situation that is no longer a concern."

Before Bellatrix could react, Lucius had pulled out a large knife from somewhere, and stabbed her right in the heart. The sickening dull sound of the impact was followed by her gurgling breath.

"You'll never win," she wheezed through frothy red bubbles.

Kingsley hastily threw up a screen between the two in-laws and the youngsters who stared at them in shock. Lucius stabbed her again, several times, before Severus forcibly pulled him back from her body.

"It is done, Lucius, now stop this before you turn into a monster," Severus said.

"I already am," Lucius snarled.

"No more than she was. I will do what I can to help Narcissa, you know that. Pull yourself together, for her sake and Draco's."

Lucius allowed him to roughly Scourgify away the blood, and slowly his breathing and crazed look returned to something more akin to normal.

" _Freeze,"_ Hermione whispered. _"I still hear that dull thud of the knife."_

" _I understand, but now you know why, right? This is all in the past as well, Bellatrix is not coming back. Lucius won't hurt you, or anyone you care about. Close your eyes and return to your safe place a while."_

Hermione nodded again, and slowly relaxed against him, eyes closed.

" _Do you want to take a break?"_ Severus asked her. She shook her head.

" _No, then I will still have to go through the worst of it later. I'm ready."_ The memory restarted again.

Kingsley had gone over to the Golden Trio and was checking Miss Granger over. She looked to be unhurt apart from the shock and aftereffects of the Cruciatus that Severus knew very well. The boys were alternating wide-eyed stares at Bellatrix' body and at Lucius.

Kingsley turned to face the two wizards. "We're about out of time before they set off the signal. I suggest you take the potion now while we remember it and that we get moving."

Lucius nodded and downed the flask while Severus did the same.

"Let's end this," Potter said. The three youngsters bravely squared their shoulders and looked at the others. Kingsley and Lucius agreed that the two supposed Death Eaters would go first, then the trio, and Kingsley would try to hold off any reinforcements. They set up a few booby-traps along the way including some portable swamps from the WWW stores.

"The wards tell me he's in the small ballroom that he has appropriated to hold court, I don't think he's alone," Lucius commented. "His presence overshadows everyone else in the wards."

Severus and Lucius walked cautiously to the throne room, masks and hoods up, while Potter and Granger were hidden under the cloak. Granger had concealed Weasley under a Disillusionment charm.

" _Good charm by the way, almost as good as one of mine. Kingsley was also impressed, you can tell by the looks he threw you."_ He smirked at her indignant glare.

" _Almost? It was perfect and you know it!"_

The Dark Lord was seated in his customary throne-like seat, idly caressing Nagini's head. The snake was curled up beside the chair, her large bulk coiled in lazy loops on both sides of it, her head resting on the armrest. He was clad in black as usual and had a glass of what looked like water on a side table. Unfortunately Wormtail was in the room too, eyeing the large snake nervously from his seat on a low bench by the far wall. He looked unkempt and scruffy, as if he had slept in his clothes and forgotten to shave or brush his hair, which was probably not far from the truth.

The Dark Lord looked up sharply when they entered. "Severuss, Luciuss, what news do you bring this early in the morning?"

"I bear some news from the Order, my lord," Severus said and knelt in front of the throne.

" _Watch Wormtail now, we got lucky with the timing here. The potion took away most of the pain of the summons."_

"Master, there is a summons," Wormtail whined and clutched his forearm.

"How can that be? It's false!" the Dark Lord spat, turning to face the two others. "Do you feel it as well?"

"Indeed," Lucius said calmly. "It must be treachery. Is someone trying to call our brothers to them to usurp you, my Lord?"

"That can't be! Bellatrix! Where are you?" The Dark Lord rose from his chair. Nagini picked up on his unrest and started to move in front of him.

"Do you think the signal comes from her?" Severus said, frowning.

"The caller's signature does feel slightly familiar, could it be another one of the Lestranges?" Lucius added.

" _You were bullshitting and stalling for time, weren't you?"_

" _You noticed? Whatever gave us away? Yes we had nothing to tell him and we didn't want him to try a counter summons right away, I was Occluding heavily and improvising. Deep breaths now and pause the memory if you need to."_

"This ends here," a voice called. Potter. The young man threw off his cloak and materialised in the middle of the room, flanked by his two sidekicks.

The Dark Lord started laughing but right at that point everything turned into chaos. Severus and Lucius quickly pointed their wands at the trio and moved to flank them. They could hear fighting in the corridor but there was no way of knowing who it was until a somewhat ruffled-looking Kingsley shot through the door. The Dark Lord immediately stopped laughing.

"You …" the snakelike man hissed and turned to Severus and Lucius. "You betrayed me, both of you."

He didn't get any further as Yaxley entered, followed by, of all people, Albus Dumbledore, Neville Longbottom, Bill and Draco, the latter two holding Yaxley at wandpoint. Neville was brandishing a sword.

" _Freeze,"_ Severus said. _"Where on earth did Longbottom get Gryffindor's sword, and why was he and Albus there?"_

" _I have absolutely no idea, they weren't part of the plan,"_ Hermione said shakily. _"How did Voldemort connect Kingsley to your treachery, by the way?"_

" _I guess there was simply no other explanation for him to be there. Shall we continue?"_

" _Alright."_

The Dark Lord looked stunned for a moment before regaining composure. He swiftly snatched Wormtail's left arm and pushed his wand against the dark mark. Searing pain shot through Severus' mark, and by the looks of it, the others were similarly affected although Wormtail probably felt it the most, as evidenced by his howling.

"Albus, you dare come to visit me at my stronghold," the Dark Lord sneered before finally releasing Wormtail's arm.

Lucius huffed and looked highly affronted through the pain.

"Tom, it is time to give up," the old man said, smiling serenely.

The Dark Lord laughed sharply. "Give up? Are you mad? When everyone I need to dispose of willingly come to me like this? The Boy-Who-Lived, his Mudblood friend and the blood traitor, my two - no three - Death Eater traitors, and yourself? It's a veritable feast!"

"No, Tom, this is the end of the road for you," Albus responded calmly. He sought out the eyes of the boy he had both protected and manipulated into becoming a sacrifice for the Greater Good. "Harry, you will do well. I am proud of you."

" _He's saying goodbye, isn't he? I didn't realise that at the time,"_ Hermione commented.

Harry nodded, a confused frown on his forehead, while Albus raised his wand. Rather than attacking the Dark Lord, he took Draco's left arm and started chanting. The air swirled around the young man, as well as around both Severus and Lucius, and a searing white light emanated from the tip of the Headmaster's wand. Suddenly Severus felt an intense heat in his Mark, strong enough to bring him to his knees.

" _The Mark suddenly felt really hot, I could feel it burning off,"_ Severus commented without pausing the memory. They watched Albus spend the last of his energy in a burst of light and energy, and then crumple to the floor, dead.

"Nooooooo!" Harry wailed and tried rushing at the Headmaster's body, but his friends held him back.

" _FREEZE!"_ Hermione yelled, crying.

" _Breathe, Hermione. This has already happened. It is in the past. You cannot change it. Go to your safe place."_

" _It hurts, Severus! I can't handle this!"_

" _We will get through it together, you hear me? I'm not leaving you."_

" _Why did he do it?"_

" _Look at him now when the scene is frozen, look at what he sees, you can see why. He did the right thing, Hermione. He won us this war. I'm sorry it had to be like this, but he was very brave. You don't have to watch when it happens."_

She didn't stop sobbing but she nodded and clung to him even tighter and started the memory again.

The Dark Lord was laughing again. Somewhere in the confusion Yaxley broke free from his captors. He sent a vicious curse towards Potter, one which would surely kill him if it connected. Severus had no time to react but Ron saw it and leapt in front of Potter and Granger, taking it for himself. His stomach split open and the young redhead died gurgling on his own blood within seconds, right in front of his two closest friends and oldest brother.

" _I'm so sorry, Hermione,"_ Severus whispered and clutched her head against his chest.

Neville took the chance to run towards the throne, and somehow managed to decapitate Nagini in a single swift blow, finally causing the Dark Lord to stop laughing. He sent a vicious stunner at Neville who flew backwards while Bill was busy killing Yaxley with another messy curse.

"This ends here, Potter," the Dark Lord hissed. "Your beloved Headmaster is gone, your friend is gone, and soon you will be too. _Avada Kedavra!_ "

For some inexplicable reason Wormtail flung himself in the way. His body lit up in green before the Animagus crumpled to the ground. The Dark Lord stood in front of the throne, looking rather bewildered.

" _Wormtail owed Harry a life debt since Harry prevented his death when he pretended to be Ron's rat,"_ Hermione said shakily.

" _Ah, that explains it. I couldn't understand why he did it, he certainly didn't have enough of a conscience to sacrifice himself."_

The young man started speaking and slowly walked towards the throne.

"You're right Tom, it ends here. You can't kill me. My mother died for me. My father died for both of us. My friend died for me, my mentor died for me, my enemy died for me. Your most trusted servant has protected me ever since I was born, your other lieutenant changed sides to aid me, his son chose my side. You have lost already. Accept it and move on, Tom."

Potter was close enough to touch the Dark Lord now, still slowly moving closer, and just as the young man raised a hand to touch the forehead of what used to be a man, the Dark Lord tried again.

" _Avada Kedavra!"_ he cried but once again the curse rebounded on Potter just as the boy's hand connected. They were both engulfed in a green light, and both fell to the ground. The light surrounding Potter seemed to be centred on his forehead before it dissipated, leaving the rest of them standing as if frozen. The body of Tom Riddle started disintegrating, turning into dust before their eyes. Only his robes remained, and a large heap of ash. Potter wasn't moving.

Miss Granger ran up to her friend and frantically started calling his name. She turned him over to face her and checked for a pulse. After maybe a minute the young man stirred, raising a hand to her arm. She broke down sobbing, clutching him tightly.

" _I thought I had lost him too,"_ Hermione commented. Her tears had dried up, finally.

" _Come, let us leave this now. You made it through. Return to your safe place. You are safe, what happened has already happened, now let it go."_

The memory dissolved and both of them stumbled back into Severus' quarters, slightly disoriented. He gently led her over to an armchair where she slumped down. They had been in there for several hours but it felt longer. As he stowed the Pensieve away and put the memories back into his head, he thought about the aftermath which had been messy as always. Apparently Kingsley had fought and incapacitated the last Snatcher in the hallway before being discovered by Yaxley. No one could quite explain what Dumbledore and Neville had been up to, or how they made it there.

The rest of the Order along with several unaffiliated Aurors and some members of the DA had ambushed the Death Eaters in the clearing they had designated for the fake summons, and managed to disarm or disable most of them. There were some deaths on both sides, and Tonks and Arthur Weasley had been badly injured but would recover in St Mungo's. Ginny had snuck along with her elder brothers and fought with the rest of them, escaping with a nasty concussion and some hex wounds but nothing serious. Remus had taken out Fenrir Greyback in an especially vicious duel, to everyone's relief. Apparently the Dark Lord's punishment of the two traitor Death Eaters could be felt by the rest of them as well, causing a great deal of confusion but helping matters a fair bit for the Order. A few Death Eaters had escaped, naturally, but a fair number had been caught.

Kingsley and, somewhat surprisingly, Moody started to clear up the Ministry and the Auror force. Lucius had been put in house arrest pending a trial which had been pushed back since he was deemed less of a risk than several of the others that awaited trials. Severus was quickly cleared of all charges for Death Eater activities thanks to Potter and the rest of the gang. He did attend the Weasley boy's funeral, but stayed in the back at the service.

"How do you feel, Hermione?" he asked and took the other armchair.

"Empty. Drained. Hurting." She was staring listlessly into the fire before turning her gaze to him. Her eyes were puffy and swollen from all the crying. "What about you?"

He had to think about it before answering. "Drained, as well. Amazed that we pulled it off, there was so much that could have gone wrong. Weasley was very brave, and Potter too."

"His name was Ron, you know. Well, Ronald. But I want you to say it at least once. And Harry's name."

Severus sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and glared at her before nodding his head in defeat. "Very well. Just this once. Ronald Weasley did a great job with the plan and he did the right thing that day."

"Thank you, Professor. Please do go on." She shot him a tiny but triumphant smile.

"The other one too? You'll be the death of me," he grumbled. "Fine. Harry was very brave. I have no idea how he pulled that stunt off, did you even know what he had planned? Had he planned, at all? I suspect it was more of a happy accident."

"Behave! Or I'll have you praise Neville too. But no he hadn't as far as I know. He always tended to go more by intuition."

"Well that's one thing you might call it. Do you think this has been in any way helpful to you or have we just endured two painful hours that will make matters worse?"

Hermione frowned and bit her lower lip again. He longed to pull it free, with his own lips.

"No, I can see now why Ron did what he did as well as why Lucius acted like a madman. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if the flashbacks are better but it feels as if I can recall the events now without being trapped in the memories."

"If you think it would help we could also have a look at your memories of the same event."

Hermione nodded but agreed that they should leave it alone for now. He tossed her a lightweight Muggle novel to take her mind off the events of the war, and settled in to correct a bunch of fourth-year essays meanwhile. By the time he had finished the pile of essays, he heard her stomach grumbling.

"What do you think you could eat?" he asked her.

"Umm, I'm not sure, maybe some soup? Something simple."

He called for Winky again who promised to deliver a light lunch with some maybe-soup.

After they had finished eating, he declared that they needed a change of scenery and that they might as well make use of the opportunity to collect some Potions ingredients. Tossing her a travel cloak and taking one for himself, they left his chambers. The November afternoon was rather warm for November but still cold enough to warrant decent clothing if one was to stay out a while.

~x~x~x~

 **A/N:** the technique with a "safe place" and essentially going back to relive a memory is inspired by EMDR therapy which naturally is done a little differently without Legilimency or a Pensieve but also aims to sever the mind's emotional connections between the present and the traumatic memories, and can be surprisingly effective to help with PTSD.

Glad to see so many following along already, and leaving reviews!


	10. Tonight, You're Alive

**Tonight, You** **'re Alive**

Hermione felt somehow lightheaded, drained and above all very tired. She was surprised by his suggestion that they go out and collect some Potions ingredients, but she agreed since it wasn't late enough to go to bed and she didn't think she could study anyway. Severus tossed her a cloak since she didn't have one with her. It pooled around her feet before she quickly altered the size to fit her. The all-black cloak was of a thick wool lined with a sturdy linen, and the hood was fur-lined, black too of course and marvellously soft. It felt luxuriously heavy and comforting around her.

He led her out of his quarters but didn't turn towards the corridor leading up to the main levels of the castle as she had expected, instead they turned into a narrow side passage that after a series of stairs led to a dark, heavy wooden door. Sunlight streamed in when Severus opened the door, showing that they were not too far from the greenhouses in a secluded nook on the side of the Castle.

"How did we end up here? We were well under the lake on the other side of the castle," Hermione couldn't help but to ask.

They stepped out, and the door closed without a trace. She had to blink against the sharp November sunlight that illuminated the remaining leaves on the trees.

"The castle thought I could use an exit during the war years."

They walked along the rose bushes and lilacs planted close to the castle walls. She shuddered at the thought of those dark years when Voldemort could call on him at any time. It had been hard for her and her friends, but he had been walking a tightrope over a burning fire continuously to feed information and misinformation in the right places.

They passed the greenhouses without seeing anyone, although Hermione suspected that Neville was busy in there as usual. The air was crisp and high, the sun faintly warming her back as they walked towards the Forbidden Forest. Severus led the way without talking and they soon found themselves in a glade where he had her harvesting death-cap mushrooms while he plucked goosegrass and some bark. When he was satisfied they moved further into the forest where he found some flies dancing around in the clearing. He turned to face her.

"Do you know how to catch lacewing flies?"

She shook her head. He reached into his robe pockets and pulled out a bottle of something coloured a dark amber.

"Honey mead."

He let her sniff the stopper. The sweet and flowery smell made her mouth water. Severus noticed her reaction and smirked at her.

He took out a tiny glass jar from somewhere else in his robes and enlarged it before pouring some mead into it. He carefully put it on a rock in the open clearing near where he had spotted the flies, and walked back to join her in the shadows. Soon enough they saw the first fly enter the jar and land in the liquid, getting trapped by the syrupy alcohol. When the jar was nearly full of flies, Severus deftly snapped the lid on and stowed it back in his robes.

The Forest felt peaceful, Hermione thought, as they wound their way deeper into its heart. She felt completely safe walking next to Severus' black-clad form, it was obvious that he knew his way through the meandering paths among the large trees. Some of them had shed their leaves already for autumn while some remained green, and others wore blazing colours between yellow and red. The forest floor was rather bare apart from roots, dropped branches and fallen leaves, but not a lot of bushes or high plants. As they neared another clearing Severus stopped and appeared to listen for something. She looked around but couldn't sense anything special.

"What is it?"

"I think there are unicorns around, at least one. Would you be able to collect some blood if they offer? I think it would be useful for the next attempt at a potion for Narcissa."

He eyed her warily and she blushed fiercely as she remembered that unicorns could be touched freely by virgins, especially girls. Freely offered unicorn blood was a powerful ingredient, without the nasty effects of blood taken involuntarily. She hoped that the dim light under the trees made her blush less noticeable.

"Yes, I can try," she mumbled and took the vial he held out to her.

"I'll wait right here."

She nodded and walked into the clearing. There was a large oak tree in the middle of the open space. The grass was sparse right under the tree but otherwise lush and inviting. She sank down with her back to the tree and settled in to wait, grateful for his cloak. Gradually her mind stilled and she could almost feel the slow thrum of life coursing through the forest, made up of the trees and bushes with leaves rustling in the wind, birds, small animals and insects plus the larger beings that occasionally passed through. She had no idea how much time had passed when she felt a presence nearby. As she opened her eyes she suddenly saw a large white unicorn stallion standing nearby, watching her. His coat was shimmering white and the nearly pearlescent horn sparkled in the pale rays of autumn sunlight.

"Hello," she said softly and felt rather silly.

The unicorn snorted softly and walked closer to her. He lowered his large head towards her and she felt compelled to slowly raise her hand towards him. As he sniffed her hand she couldn't help but to pet his velvety soft muzzle. He stepped closer and nuzzled her hair playfully, she could feel his warm breath in her hair. She giggled and petted his cheek. The stallion took a gentle hold on her hand with his lips only and pulled her towards him, getting her to rise to her feet. She scratched behind his ears, his withers and chest, causing him to lean into her almost toppling her over.

After a while he took a step back, away from her, and regarded her intently. He raised his head and looked towards where Severus was still standing before nodding his head at her. Before she could react he had scratched his own flank with his horn, leaving a shallow gash where silvery blood welled up. A drop of the substance glistened at the top of his horn. He snorted impatiently at her, causing her to startle.

"Oh! Are you sure?"

Nervously she approached him with the vial and started to collect the blood that seeped out from the gash. When the vial was full, the stallion brought his head back to the wound and licked it closed.

"Thank you, I am honoured by your gift."

The stallion turned towards where Severus stood in the shadows and nickered at him. Severus entered the clearing slowly and stopped at a respectful distance from the unicorn who eyed him calmly before closing the distance and greeting him the same way he had Hermione, sniffing his hand. Both of them went absolutely still, eyeing each other. Hermione didn't dare to move from where she stood a little off to the side from both of them. Suddenly, the stallion nickered again at them both. He shook his head fiercely, and his horn fell off with a pop. Underneath it, a nub could be seen that would undoubtedly grow out to become a new horn. He spun around and ran off in a canter, neighing to his herd.

She turned towards him. He seemed dazed, looking at the spot where the unicorn had disappeared from view, until he suddenly snapped out of it and fixed her with an intense gaze.

"Exquisite," he murmured.

"Severus, what -"

Hermione didn't get any further before he had caught her in a fierce embrace and captured her mouth in a searing kiss. It was marvellous, his mouth hot on hers as he nipped at her lips, requesting entry. She opened her mouth to his and met his questing tongue while tangling her hands in his hair. He was all she ever wanted, and more. She pressed herself against him as her whole body came on fire, igniting her insides and causing an ache in her breasts. She had never felt so alive.

They were both flushed and breathing heavily when they parted.

"Severus, what is it?"

"Hermione …" he whispered. "May I kiss you?"

"You just did, but yes please," she answered. And so he did, gentler this time, but still stoking the fire inside her.

He lowered his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. She traced his bared neck and chest with her fingers, causing him to groan. His skin was soft and smooth, and warm. She wanted more. Before she could seek his mouth for another kiss, he disentangled himself and went to pick up the discarded horn and some loose strands of hair that had fallen next to it, another precious gift that could be used as Potions ingredients.

"I believe it is time for us to return. Would milady consider joining me for a dinner in my chambers?"

"Oh, most certainly. Do lead the way, good sir."

He offered her his arm with a smirk and they walked together out through the forest. It was dark already but with enough moonlight to show them the way. He helped her over fallen logs and across ditches as they took the fastest route back.

~x~x~x~

When they had made their way back to his chambers she was torn between physical hunger and her growing need for him. He must have thought the same as he caught her by the elbows before she could launch herself at him, and quickly called for Winky to bring them something to eat. She almost growled with disappointment but as soon as the elf had deposited a large selection of dinner food for them both, she conceded that it was a good idea after all. They settled in at his dining table and she took a large serving of shepherd's pie along with green beans and bell peppers. Severus chose a roast with boiled potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Before they made it to dessert, the wards on his entrance door chimed. He growled, tossed the napkin on the table and stalked out to find out the cause of the disturbance. She could vaguely make out a stammering female voice which might have belonged to a Slytherin fifth-year prefect and his impatient answers, before he went back to join her.

"Apparently I am needed in the Slytherin dorms. Something about a couple of third-years and a frothy pink bathroom. Feel free to stay here if you wish, I don't know how long this will take. By the way, all books in the two bookshelves on the far wall are off limits, and the ones on the lower two shelves here," he said and pointed towards some of the shelves near the fire. "I don't have the time to tell you which ones are dangerous or not." She nodded in understanding, not willing to risk the privilege that was Severus Snape's extensive library, and grateful that he trusted her enough to let her stay in his quarters alone.

He turned swiftly on his heel and stalked back out of the room, snatching up his teaching robes along the way.

She rifled in her bag for her Potions textbook before she turned her attention to the sinful-looking apple pie that Winky had brought for dessert. She lost herself in her studies and the apple pie which disappeared quickly. Eventually, the lure of his bookshelves became too strong and she started browsing what he had amassed, amazed by the range and variety of his collection. He seemed to favour Wizarding non-fiction and Muggle fiction, but both sections contained everything from well-loved paperbacks to ancient tomes with blackened leather bindings. She pulled out a text on theoretical Charms and Spell Creation, one on wards, an advanced Potions text and two Muggle novels that she hadn't read and settled down in one of his comfortable armchairs, daring to ask Winky for a pot of tea.

~x~x~x~

She'd made it at least a third of the way through the spell creation book when he appeared again, scowling at the world in general. He threw off his teaching robe and flopped down in the other armchair with a grunt.

"How bad was it?"

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. She rose to fetch his apple pie, kept warm under a stasis charm, and a cup of tea to which she added a dash of milk, not too much, the way he liked it.

"Mr Likeworth and Mr Taylor will be in detention with Filch for two weeks for inventing a bath foam that turned out to be poisonous when mixed with the common soap all bathrooms are stocked with. Miss Underwood, Miss Applethorpe and Miss Graham will be fine after a couple of days with Madam Pomfrey."

She winced and tried to place the student names. The two boys were Slytherin third-years and already known troublemakers, apparently eager to assume the mantle after the Weasley twins, but she couldn't quite place the girls although she knew all of them to be Slytherin.

"Oh, that's certainly … inventive. What year are the girls in? I only seem to recall Miss Applethorpe." Annabel Applethorpe was a first-year, she had been first out in the Sorting this year.

"The others are second-years, I guess you haven't been exposed to them much."

He was already halfway through his pie and appeared to share her appreciation of it if the look of bliss on his face was anything to go by.

"I had wanted to go through another memory with you tonight but I think we had best postpone it as it is getting a bit late already. I see you have made good progress through my library meanwhile."

She blushed at the pile she had amassed, but he had offered, after all. He rose and went to his bar cabinet where he brought out a bottle of Ogden's and poured himself a glass. He raised an eyebrow in her direction but she declined.

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"What are we, exactly? What is this? What do you want?"

"Ah, yes, that." He sat down again in his customary armchair, facing her. He crossed his long legs at the ankles and stared pensively into the fire. Subtle flames danced over his glass of Firewhisky as he sipped his drink, staring into the fire. Finally he turned his gaze from the fire and met her eyes as he shifted forward in his chair. She couldn't look away from him.

"Hermione … I do not claim to be a particularly nice man. I find the company of most people tedious since they usually cannot hold up their end of a conversation and they get upset if I speak my mind. My reputation precedes me and either scares people off, which is fine, or lately ends up in some sort of ridiculous hero worship which lasts until they open their mouths and say something stupid. You however seem to be one of the few who aren't afraid of me, you know my background and somehow I can relax in your company, despite the fact that you are still my student and you are twenty years younger."

"Nineteen years younger if you're of age with Professor Lupin and Harry's parents. And I won't be your student for much longer," Hermione interjected.

"Really?" His eyebrow rose again. "When is your birthday?"

"September Nineteenth, what about you?"

"I'll be 38 this coming January. So that makes it nineteen and a half, or just over it, which rounds to twenty."

"I will still claim it's nineteen, what with my Time Turner usage in my third year. What day in January?"

"Time Turner? That explains a thing or two. Blasted Albus, giving one to a student. It's the ninth, by the way, not that I've ever celebrated it."

She smirked and toasted him with her now rather empty teacup, carefully filing the information about his birthday away for later use.

He finished off his glass and took a deep breath again. "In essence, I do not wish to pressure you as you should go out there and experience what life has to offer for a young and vibrant, intelligent witch. However, somewhat selfishly, I do at the same time want to see where this leads, since I so rarely meet people that I can connect with, whether it is friendship only or something … deeper."

She blushed at that, and he smirked when he noticed it. "I would like that too, and for much the same reasons."

His eyes brightened and some tension left his face. "Is that so? Although I am glad to hear it, I cannot understand what makes you seek out my company over that of your peers."

"Oh come off it, you said it yourself. I'm not afraid of you, in fact I rather like your sarcastic snarky wit, well most of the time at least. I can relax around you and you know my history as well. You can follow and challenge me intellectually … and I find you ridiculously attractive." She blushed at the end but pushed through anyway and was rewarded by both of his eyebrows shooting up before what almost could have been a smile flashed across his face, making him look younger and rather vulnerable.

"Hermione, it is getting late. Should I lower the wards on the Floo or would you want to stay here tonight?" He looked almost nervous, if not for the fact that Severus Snape surely would never be nervous. She, however was feeling jittery like a foal.

"I'd like to stay with you, but I don't have any toiletries."

He smiled at her briefly and called for Winky, asking the elf to provide her with what she needed.

~x~x~x~

As they rose to go into his bedchambers she took a deep breath, summoning her Gryffindor courage.

"Severus …"

He turned to face her, inscrutable black eyes meeting hers again. Her heartbeat was a dull roar in her ears.

"Would you kiss me again, if I asked you to?"

He closed the distance between them.

"Do you want me to, little witch?" His voice was a low velvety purr.

She nodded, suddenly breathless, and ever so slowly he brought his hands up to her neck as he lowered his head, angling it so that he could meet her lips. It started out chastely but when she moaned in his mouth and snaked her hands in his silky hair his grip on her tightened and he deepened the kiss, battling her tongue with his. He tasted of whisky, chocolate cake and something uniquely him.

"I'll gladly kiss you anytime you wish, little witch," he said huskily as they broke apart for air. His dark eyes were on fire and she was glad to feel him breathing heavily too.

"Yes," she whispered. "I do so wish."

She pulled his head down again to her, demanding another one. This time he groaned first as she pressed herself as hard against him as she could.

"I would request one thing only," he said once he broke free again.

She looked up at him, seeing his black eyes alight with fire. "Yes?"

"I do not share, Hermione. If you would want to cancel this … arrangement, wherever it leads, tell me. I won't hold it against you but never go behind my back."

She nodded. "That is fine with me as long as the same goes for you."

"Certainly, I do not have an interest in other witches."

"Good. I do not share, either."

He almost growled and kissed her again. Her knickers were getting seriously wet and her nipples were aching. She refused to let go of him but he managed to steer them towards his bedroom without bumping into anything along the way. They fell down on the bed in a tangled heap of limbs, kissing, stroking, moaning.

"You are intoxicating, little witch."

His hand stroked her cheek, tenderly.

"And you are addictive."

She started in on the buttons of his frock coat, hampered slightly by the very distracting way he was kissing her throat, and by his silky black hair falling in her face.

"Hermione …" he groaned as she managed to slip a hand in under his shirt, having tugged it loose from his trousers.

His skin was warm and smooth and she wanted more contact. He pulled away from her slightly, undid his coat and banished it to the floor before regarding her with a calculating gleam in his eyes. A whispered wandless spell later and she found herself clad in only knickers and a bra, the rest of her clothes joining his coat on the floor.

"Is this what you want, little witch? Should I do unto you what I did the last time you were sans clothes in my bed?"

She couldn't tell if the goosebumps were caused by the sudden onslaught of chilly air or by the insane arousal she felt, but suspected the latter since her knickers were absolutely soaked through.

"Yes and yes and more, everything, Severus."

He turned serious, all of a sudden. "You are still my student, I cannot allow this situation to develop any further than what we already have done which is much further than I should have let it go."

She sat up and glared at him, her own near nakedness momentarily forgotten. "A bit late to get all uppity over morals, isn't it?"

He traced elaborate patterns with his fingertips along her hip and the side of her stomach.

"Perhaps, but it makes the situation slightly more manageable should I find myself in an investigation since as you know teacher-student relationships are strictly forbidden although there is precedence historically speaking. The Headmistress and Ministry have the right to conduct interrogations under Veritaserum if they suspect any wrongdoings, although the fact that you are of age and in your final year will mitigate it somewhat."

"Plausible deniability?"

"Indeed, coupled with a certain tolerance of Veritaserum," he purred and kissed her lightly again.

"Fine, I do understand. Does that stance extend to apprentices?" She would be willing to wait for him until the NEWTs were done but she would refuse to wait until the end of her apprenticeship. At the same time, his statement made her relax a bit as well since her prior experience was only what they had done together the last time, and she wanted to let things progress at a pace she was comfortable with.

"No, it does not. In fact apprenticeships often used to lead to … more which may have been more or less voluntary from the apprentice's side. Payment for services rendered, in a sense, occasionally ending in marriage but more often turning them into a mistress or a sidepiece, especially for male apprentices to male Masters. Of course I would never expect that from you, I hope you understand that?"

"Oh." She frowned and bit her lower lip again. "You were an apprentice, weren't you? Did you have to … ?"

His eyes went darker. "Master Thornbite tried, once. I quickly dissuaded him of that notion."

She nodded and idly traced the ivory buttons on his shirt. She did trust him never to do anything to her that she didn't wish him to, but in this too it was clear that Wizarding society sometimes was stuck in the 1700's, or perhaps even earlier.

"It seems we have gotten off track," he told her, interrupting her introspection. "Where were we?"

She reached up to kiss him again while working on his shirt buttons.

"Just about here, I think."

He hummed with pleasure and started kissing her anywhere he could reach. Forehead, nose, eyelids, cheekbones. He gently tipped her backwards again and started a trail of kisses from her jaw via her earlobe and down her throat. His warm hand cupped her breast through her bra and she groaned as he pinched her nipple. It felt as if she was on fire.

"Off," she growled and tugged at his shirt.

He smirked at her and banished that too, plus trousers, boots and socks for good measure. She pounced once he had liberated himself from the unnecessary layers of clothing, toppling him backwards on the bed, and started kissing him the same way he had just done to her. She set about exploring his face with her lips, smoothing out the frown between his eyebrows, kissing his hooked nose, his slightly raspy chin. He wrapped her in a hard embrace and sought her mouth before she broke free and continued. It seemed he too had rather sensitive earlobes, and he shuddered when she dared snaking her tongue lightly in his ear. She scooted lower and started kissing his neck and throat, noting with satisfaction the way he had closed his eyes, apparently savouring the situation. He smelled of Potions ingredients and something spicy, maybe sandalwood, and underneath that was something quite male, solid and powerful.

His chest was marred by scars, some probably Potions-related but most seemed to have other stories behind them. She traced a large one across his pectoral muscle with her lips while letting her free hand stroke his ribs and side. He didn't have much hair on his chest, a smattering of black on his sternum and a dark trail down from his navel. She found one flat nipple with her lips, causing him to inhale sharply as she nibbled at it while tweaking the other one with her hand. His reactions made her feel powerful, the way he let her explore his body without complaint.

She scooted lower, following the trail down to his tented silk boxers. His stomach was flat and his hip bones jutted out as he lay on his back. She trailed the edge of his boxers before banishing them too wandlessly, he wasn't the only one who knew that charm. His large cock leapt free of its confines and stood straight up right in front of her eyes. Not that she had much to compare with in terms of size, but it definitely seemed large this close. The last time had been different, the situation had been rather surreal and although he hadn't actually pushed or demanded anything she had still felt compelled to act. This time she could set the pace and he seemed completely happy to let her. His hand had started gently stroking her back and thigh but otherwise he didn't move at all, only his heavy breathing told of his appreciation of the situation. She sent a silent thought of appreciation to Lavender, Parvati, their stash of the Witch Weekly magazine and the discussions Hermione hadn't been able not to overhear during their years in the shared dorm. They had been most instructive.

Slowly she approached his cock and lowered her mouth towards it. She brushed the head with her lips and was quite happy to hear him hissing at the touch. She set about exploring him, tracing the ridges and grooves with her tongue, bringing a hand to the base to hold it steady. He smelled more strongly of musk but not in a bad way, and he tasted clean if a little salty. She licked his balls and found the texture amusing as they had pulled themselves tight close to his shaft, but a bit too hairy for comfort. She cast an eye up at his face and saw that he had closed his eyes and lay completely still apart from that one hand which seemed to be stroking her thigh without conscious thought.

She took him back in her mouth and started sucking properly, helping out with a hand on the shaft. He groaned again. After a little while he shifted slightly, moving closer to her legs while tugging at her thigh. She didn't quite understand what he was trying to do until she felt her knickers vanish and his hand stroking her right there. He settled her legs on either side of his head and her feelings of nervousness were completely forgotten as soon as he - _sweet Circe and all her little piglets -_ let his hot tongue connect. She couldn't believe how intense the feelings were when he teased her nub and her hips bucked on their own accord. When he added first one finger, and then two, she had a very hard time focussing on what she was doing to him in turn. She automatically mirrored his rhythm until her own orgasm caught her by surprise, causing her to try to muffle her cries on his cock which in turn had him coming just after her, with a warning first which she ignored, swallowing his seed. It was slightly salty and a bit odd but she liked being able to effect him like that. She climbed off him and turned around to lay beside him on top of the bedcovers, settling her head on his shoulder. He pulled her close.

"You are exquisite when you come," he told her and pressed a kiss to her temple. She blushed and he smirked at her.

"That was incredible, but I was a bit distracted so it caught me by surprise."

He gently pushed her backwards, supporting himself on one elbow. His intense gaze left her breathless again.

"Is that so? Hmm, perhaps I should remedy that, little witch. I believe there are some areas left unkissed, and I didn't hear you screaming my name."

"Severus …"

He kissed her tenderly but insistently.

"Good start but you aren't screaming, little witch. I believe you are wearing altogether too much clothing."

He swiftly disposed of her bra which she had almost forgotten about, and set about exploring again, trailing hot kisses along her throat and down to one pert nipple while his free hand played with the other one. His mouth felt marvellous on her breast, first one and then the other, licking, sucking, nibbling. When he moved lower again she lost track of everything, her world had reduced to the feeling of his hands and mouth everywhere, reducing her to a wet puddle of need as he again brought her to ecstasy with two fingers and a wet tongue in a steady rhythm. Her hands threaded themselves into his hair as the tension started building.

"Severus!" she near howled as she came undone, nearly blacking out in the process. Her whole body shook and she clenched her legs hard around his shoulders.

When she became aware of her surroundings again she sheepily released the dark-haired wizard from the death grip she'd had him in, although his lopsided smile seemed to indicate that he hadn't minded. He moved up to lay beside her and she snuggled in close with her head on his shoulder. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I could get used to that," she said somewhat shakily. She could feel his smile against her forehead.

"Indeed, little witch."

She yawned widely, suddenly exhausted. Deciding against a shower that evening she reluctantly rose from the bed to brush her teeth, use the loo and quickly wash her face before returning to Severus' bed clad in her flannel pyjamas. She burrowed under his covers with great satisfaction while he made the same trip, relishing in the feel of the silky satin sheets and very fluffy down duvet. The sheets were white and the duvet covers were dark blue, and he had a dark grey woollen blanket on top of it all for cold nights.

Already half asleep, she nestled closer to Severus when he joined her in bed. Spooning was quickly becoming her favourite position for falling asleep, feeling the weight of his arm around her waist, his breath in her hair and his warm body snug against hers.


	11. A Rose By Any Other Name

**A Rose By Any Other Name**

Once again he woke up to the slightly tickling sensation of bushy hair in his face, and his arm locked underneath the neck and shoulders of a certain witch. _Yes, I really could get used to this,_ he mused and pulled her closer, fitting his body to hers. She mumbled something in her sleep but didn't wake. After a while his bodily needs made themselves known and he carefully disentangled himself and padded off to the bathroom. A quick Tempus showed that he still had several hours before needing to get up to start the day. When he got back he saw her looking at him.

"You were gone, it got cold," she said.

"Go to sleep again, we still have time before we need to get up."

She yawned and slipped off to the bathroom as well. When she came back she put her head on his shoulder, half supported by the pillow. Her leg nestled neatly between his and her hand stroked his chest gently. He pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"This is nice," she murmured and fell asleep again. He rather agreed, and his inner Slytherin seemed to hum with contentment.

He didn't think he would be able to sleep any more but apparently his body had other ideas, and the next time he opened his eyes they had nearly missed breakfast in the Great Hall already. They had a quiet breakfast in his chambers instead, brought by Winky, before she went off to study and he prepared lessons and corrected essays.

"Thank you," she said before leaving his room. She traced his jawline with her hand, and he brought his lips down to hers, gently.

"Always," he simply replied.

~x~x~x~

He decided against dressing up for the meeting with whoever Aemiliana Prince might be although he skipped his outer teaching robes. At three o'clock precisely he threw some Floo powder in his hearth and called out "Prince Hall" before stepping into the flames. A short journey later and he was thrown out from a large hearth into a foyer where a frail-looking house elf was waiting. The room was dark and shabby with dark wood panelling on all walls and a dark wooden ceiling where a dusty half lit chandelier hung. Oblong in shape, the fireplace was almost in the middle of one of the long walls, with what looked to be the entrance door at the short end to the left and another set of large double doors opposite the entrance.

"Master Snape is to follow Tinsel!" the elf squeaked and waved him towards the set of double doors which opened to what once had been a grand hall. Here a frail old witch stood to greet him. She was short and skinny, with white hair in a tight bun, and dressed in black robes that looked to have seen better days. Her black eyes were clear, however.

"Welcome to Prince Hall, Master Snape," she said in a clear voice.

"Thank you, Madam Prince."

She led the way through a drawing room next to the great hall into another room, a study with a small wooden table where a tea set was already prepared. One wall of the room had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with dusty tomes. Gaps in the shelves showed where books had been taken away, probably to be sold. There was another hearth opposite the bookshelves with two large burgundy leather armchairs next to it. The table was situated near the windows where a patio door led to a terrace overlooking the gardens.

They sat down at the table, Tinsel poured them tea and uncovered the plate of sandwiches, crumpets, cake and some biscuits.

"Do call me Aemiliana, I'm too old for titles. Now I guess you wonder who I am, why you're here and why I haven't reached out to you before."

Severus merely raised an eyebrow, not fond of showing ignorance, and took a sip of the fragrant tea after cautiously sniffing it for poisons. The witch cradled her teacup in her hands and looked out the window.

"Where to begin … I assume your mother hasn't mentioned me. I'm her great aunt, my elder brother was her grandfather. I remember Eileen well from when she grew up here in these halls, scaling the trees in the garden and sliding down the bannisters. I was the youngest of four siblings and as such I wasn't important enough to marry off until my siblings started dying off without children, by which time I was already past childbearing age. As such, I've lived here my whole life and never married."

She reached for a sandwich while Severus helped himself to a crumpet. They sat in silence until she had finished the sandwich.

"Anyway, as you know, Eileen's grandfather who was Lord Prince at the time then disowned her and cast her out of the family when she married Tobias. I never met the man myself as she didn't bring him around to the family, probably for good reason. My brother wiped the memory of her marrying a Muggle from the whole family, ensuring that we all thought she had died, and that no one would remember her new name or the fact that she bore a son. The spell held when he died and Iodocus became the new Lord Prince. He never had any children, however, but the spell held probably because he as a male had the potential to beget an heir even as he got older. He never talked of you or her so I don't think he knew about it. Then when he passed recently, I became the new Head of the line, and since I'm well past childbearing age the enchantment disintegrated and I became aware of you and your background. Of course I had heard of you but I never realised the family connection we had. So, here we are, I wish to reach out to you and get to know you better as the one surviving relative I have, and that I may answer any questions you have regarding this part of your history."

Severus was quiet for quite some time, finishing off the crumpet and pouring some more tea. It made sense, in a backwards sort of way. "You know of my more recent history then, and what side of this damnable war I was on and what my actions were. I also know what side Iodocus was on, having seen him at plenty of meetings. You are probably correct in thinking that he never knew of me, he was not clever enough to keep such a thing a secret. I must ask you, what side did you take?"

Aemiliana sighed and looked at him directly, suddenly seeming as old as she actually was. She must be well over a hundred, maybe nearly a hundred and twenty? Eileen had been twenty-five when Severus was born, and she was the youngest of three siblings.

"During the first war, I too was seduced by the charisma and sheer power of Tom Riddle. The fact that the rest of the family also supported him didn't help much either. However, I never bought into the whole Muggleborn being our enemy and stealing our magic nonsense, and Riddle was after all a halfblood. I met him twice when my brother arranged special dinners here at the Hall, and although he immediately dismissed me as too old and too female to be of any interest, his aura was hard to resist. I assume that you know of what I speak?"

Severus merely nodded, agreeing with her. He gestured for her to continue.

"Furthermore, Iodocus was most certainly convinced of Riddle's greatness and mourned him greatly when the first war ended. My brother was killed during those final days, by the way. I don't miss him, well either of them. My brother was a vicious bully, and Iodocus was a stupid bully. He ran the last of the Prince legacy to the ground, pawning off most of the valuables to pay for his gambling and drinking. Trying to keep up with Malfoys on a bar tab is always an exercise in futility, which he never understood. He tolerated me living here mainly because I made myself nearly invisible, especially after the deaths of the others. They wasted away one by one by more or less plausible causes, the last few of them a year or so ago during the second uprising. Iodocus, as you might know, was killed during an Auror raid recently."

"Yes, I was quite relieved to hear it," Severus replied.

"Indeed. Anyhow, during the ten years between the wars I had done some serious thinking and realised that Riddle's philosophy was utter rubbish. I was shocked to hear of his return and I did contact Albus Dumbledore after thinking about what I could do. I mainly ended up sheltering some Order members while they were on missions in this region which was rather risky since I had to ensure that Iodocus didn't bring word back to Riddle."

Albus had not mentioned anything about help received from the Princes which probably wasn't much of a surprise. He hoarded information like his damnable candy and never shared more than he had to. Nevertheless, the revelation stung since Albus knew all about the Princes and what it might have meant to Severus to hear about them. Undoubtedly, that was precisely why he had kept silent.

"I must head back."

Aemiliana smiled briefly. "I see. Next time I hope to show you Eileen's room, and the Potions lab where she often spent time with her mother who let her assist with brewing."

He nodded briskly and made his way back to the foyer, Aemiliana following behind him.

"Before you go …" she began as they stood by the fireplace. She held out a hand expectantly to him. Manners had him respond automatically by clasping her hand in his, and he was taken completely by surprise when she somehow managed to slice his palm open and slam it against the mantelpiece in half a second flat, leaving a bloody handprint there while he swore and pulled his hand back.

"What did you do? Tell me!"

It felt as if his head was expanding, bursting out of his skull. Somehow an awareness settled behind his temples, of a large space and the wards contained within. Gradually the awareness coalesced into the Prince estate, with the Hall, the outbuildings and the surroundings. He could probably mentally count all the rooms, should he wish to, or reset all the wards.

Aemiliana smiled. "It is done. I have cancelled the disownment of your mother and yourself. You are the Prince heir and have a right to use the name if you wish, and you will own the estate and all surrounding buildings, to do with as you please."

"No! I don't want anything from you or the Princes! You have no right to foist that upon me!"

"It is already registered with Gringotts and the Ministry, Ignis will bring you a copy of the deed. Remember that you always have a choice, you could sell the whole lot once I'm gone and give the money to the seagulls if you wish."

"Enough! I do not accept this attempt at manipulation, I have had enough of that treatment for two lifetimes! You will not contact me again!" Scowling blackly at her he spun around and Flooed back to his quarters at Hogwarts.

~x~x~x~

He was completely infuriated with her meddling and it didn't help matters that his head still hurt with the weight of a full manor bearing down on it. How dare she take it upon herself to unilaterally make decisions about his future? Hadn't he had enough of that with nearly twenty years of servitude to two fickle masters pulling him in opposite directions? Most of all he wanted to go blast something into tiny pieces but unfortunately it was time for his office hours with Draco and Hermione. He stalked to the classroom and slammed the door open, startling the pair who were already there.

"What has you all in a snit?" Draco asked.

"Daft meddling old bints messing with my life! I thought I was free of manipulative masters!"

Draco was more used to his foul moods than Hermione and quickly assessed the situation. "This won't work. Do you want to duel? Granger and I against you?"

He considered this. That might be a good way to rid himself of some residual frustration. "Yes, let's do it."

The students quickly packed up their gear and Hermione put a notice on the door that there would be no office hours that day, before Draco led the way deeper into the Slytherin quarters. They passed the dormitory and a few empty rooms before opening the door to the Slytherin duelling and training room, outfitted with both training dummies, various gear and several obstacles such as boulders, benches and wooden structures. Draco quickly reorganised the layout of the room, shuffling the obstacles around into new positions and pushing the other training gear to the side.

Severus discarded both his robes and the frock coat and started rolling his arms and shoulders to warm up the muscles a bit. He was starting to feel better already, battle anticipation kicking in on top of the bubbling anger. Hermione and Draco also discarded their heavy robes and school cardigans, and she put up her hair in a messy ponytail.

"Alright, us two against you, no Unforgivables or permanent hexes? You're in until you lose your wand?"

He nodded and the three of them fanned out into the room. Hermione set an automatic countdown charm. As soon as the bell chimed they were off, all of them throwing hexes and diving in different directions. He nearly hit Draco with a Stunner while the blond tried to fire off a Jelly-Legs Jinx at him, only to have to leap out of the way of Hermione's Incarcerous. He threw a barrage of Stunners in her direction and quickly hid behind a wooden obstacle. His mind raced with possibilities for how to take them out, feeling more alive than in a long time. Quickly he Disillusioned himself, cast a Silencing charm at his feet and dashed across the room, only to be caught by surprise by a sudden snowfall of sticky black particles. He managed to take out Draco by a quick Expelliarmus followed by an Incarcerous before his form was outlined in black flakes, completely visible despite the Disillusionment. Scanning the room for Hermione he nearly got caught by a Tripping jinx before getting a shield up in time. She was quick at evasive maneuvers but didn't quite have the power to take him out, and he started blasting all the obstacles in the room before pinning her with a combined Expelliarmus, a Stunner and a Jelly-Legs Jinx, taking her out.

"Well played, and thanks," he told both of them after releasing them from their bonds.

"What was that black snow, Granger?" Draco asked after he got up from the floor.

Hermione was breathing heavily and wiped some sweat from her forehead, leaving a black sooty trail in its wake. "I got the idea from the Weasley twins and their Peruvian Instant Darkness powder, but in reverse so to speak as the idea was not to conceal but to show what was hidden. I haven't had the chance to test it before but it was nice to see that it worked."

Severus was rather impressed, both by the idea and the execution. "Come, let's go to my quarters," he said to them and started putting the room back in order.

"Nice room by the way, I didn't know Slytherin had this sort of space available," Hermione said.

Severus nodded. "Yes, that's the main benefit of being down here, lots of empty rooms around. There has been a Slytherin duelling club some years, there's even a magical plaque over by the door showing who's the current champion."

Hermione and Draco looked over at where he pointed and walked up to the bronze plaque that hung on the wall.

"Looks like you're in the lead, Severus," Draco called.

"Really? Well I guess no one but us has been here in a few years."

Once they were back in his quarters, seated by the fire, Severus called for Winky to bring them some refreshments. While Draco poured tea for them all, there was a flutter of wings from the fireplace and a disgruntled raven shot out from it, clutching a parcel. Severus immediately felt his mood darken again at the sight of Ignis. Before he could hex the damnable bird into cinders, Hermione had stepped in front of him and gently pried the parcel loose before releasing the bird into the corridor so that it could escape through the main hall.

"Do you need something stronger?" Draco asked with an eyebrow raised at him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself down again.

"No, let me tell you what has happened," he began and started recounting the story of the letter and today's visit with Aemiliana Prince.

Draco whistled in surprise at his story, and Hermione seemed to be bursting with questions as usual. Before she got going, however, Draco prodded the parcel that Ignis had brought and pushed it towards Severus.

"Go on, open it. It's probably spelled to your magical signature."

Severus grumbled but checked it for curses and tapped it with his wand. The parcel immediately enlarged, and opened up to show a couple of dusty old tomes and two sealed parchments. Frowning, he took out the parchments. One of them had the Ministry seal on it and the other one had a Gringotts seal. He opened them and briefly scanned the contents before tossing them to Draco who was better at legalese. Hermione was eyeing the books, and upon inspection they turned out to be about the Prince family. One was Aemiliana's diary with short entries spanning quite many years, another was a published treaty on the Prince history and the final one turned out to be a slim notebook by Norene Prince, Eileen's mother. He handed the published book to Hermione before opening his grandmother's book himself. It was a diary too, of sorts, with short notes on the children but also on the Potions experiments she had been conducting with Eileen especially. He felt his chest constrict upon reading about it, seeing his mother's name in that sort of context. What if he had been able to meet Norene?

"This looks watertight, Uncle," Draco said once he had looked through the documents. "You are apparently the new Lord Prince, effective immediately. The Ministry document was magically stamped and registered today, roughly at the time of our duel by the looks of it. The Gringotts document states that you have full access to the Prince vaults and lists their contents, not that there seems to be much in them. Your new legal name seems to be Lord Severus Prince Snape, and you can use either surname."

Hermione started giggling, in shock he presumed. He shot her a mock stern glare, thinking it over.

"Does it say anything about Aemiliana's status?"

"Yes, she has granted you full rights to the whole Prince estate already with the exception of the groundskeeper's cottage which will be hers until her death, apparently. But you are fully within rights to sell the rest of it today if you wish, or to donate it to house-elves in need or something." Draco said the last with a smirk at Hermione who sniffed at him in response.

"This calls for something stronger," Severus said and walked over to his bar cabinet. "Anything for you?"

Draco accepted a small Firewhisky while he poured a larger one for himself, but Hermione declined.

"Apparently the Princes were once known for their Potions business, Severus," she said after leafing through the book. "It seems like they had labs and a distribution central of sorts on the estate."

"Really?" Draco said. "Think they're still there?"

"Probably," Severus admitted. "I would guess most of the equipment is either sold or outdated, but the rooms ought to still be there." His mind started spinning with ideas, but he would have to go back to the estate at some point to look at what was there. It would save him the trouble of hunting down a suitable building, and he could ditch his family's sad house at Spinner's End finally.

"I want to be there when you tell Father of your new status, Uncle Severus," Draco said with a grin.

He started chuckling at that thought, and soon the utter ridiculousness of the whole situation had him laughing. Combined with the very promising encounter with Hermione last evening, it felt as if his whole existence had been upended. For once things seemed to be going his way rather than the opposite.


	12. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

**Ain** **'t No Mountain High Enough**

Finally all the weeks of frantic studying were coming to an end. Hermione was both elated and panicking over the fact that the Christmas break was upon them, and with it the end of regular lessons and homework, but also bringing the NEWT exams. She had managed to find Christmas presents for Ginny, Luna, her parents, some of the other Weasleys, Draco and Severus, after much deliberation and some frantic discussions with various others. She had even bought a Chudley Cannons sweater for Ron, per Luna's suggestion, although she didn't quite know what to do with it. It felt odd to not buy anything for Harry but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Draco had made her promise to come to the Burrow for Christmas eve when he was apparently going to visit the Weasley stronghold, to be officially presented as Ginny's boyfriend. Hermione had laughed at him until he told her she had to come too, for moral support. She marvelled at the fact that he actually wanted her company, considering their mutual history, but was rather glad to count him as a friend nonetheless. She would then go to her parents in the evening and spend Christmas day with them before returning to Hogwarts on Boxing Day.

The exams were scattered around Christmas with the first two before Christmas Eve and three in the following week. It would be a tight schedule but she vowed to persevere. Herbology was first out, followed by History of Magic the next day. Herbology would have both a theoretical and a practical part, but History of Magic was merely a five-hour writing session. The week after had Potions, Astronomy and DADA, and all of them would start with a theoretical examination for three hours followed by a practical demonstration after lunch.

She waved off her friends as they boarded the Hogwarts Express, staying behind with Draco, Neville and a couple of others that for various reasons wouldn't be going home. She did feel much better after the Pensieve session, although it had been terribly painful to review the memories of that day. It felt as if the memories had finally let go of her present, that they no longer were happening over and over, although some situations still made her uncomfortable. She still used her Safe Place and found it helped her relax and calm down. Her nightmares had almost completely disappeared as well and she didn't lay sleepless for hours most evenings, although occasionally she found it hard to sleep due to thinking too much about a certain raven-haired Potions Master.

Walking back from the train station, she thought back to a day some weeks earlier that had also helped her reach a bit of closure. A decision of sorts had made itself known to her and she found herself seeking out someone unexpected. The right occasion had presented itself one Saturday morning at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

~x~x~x~

"Hey Lavender," she had said to the blonde young woman who also looked a bit worse off than half a year ago. Parvati was not there, and Hermione vaguely remembered something about the Patil twins leaving for the weekend, something family related.

"Hi Hermione," came the listless reply.

Hermione took a seat next to her and started on some toast, scrambled eggs and a cup of tea. "Sorry I haven't talked to you this term after moving out of the dorm."

"It's alright, I haven't exactly sought you out either, you know." Lavender was nibbling on a dry toast to go with her milky tea.

"Umm, would you care to go for a walk after breakfast?"

"Hermione, you know it's December and Scotland, right? It's not exactly promenade weather."

Hermione shrugged. "Well we could always check out the greenhouses, Neville and Luna are busy on some projects there."

Lavender looked at her oddly before answering. She'd finished her breakfast already, not that she appeared to have eaten much.

"Alright, meet you at the entrance hall in half an hour?" Lavender said once she had risen.

"Sure," Hermione replied and made a focused effort to finish off the toast and scramble. Her appetite had returned as well, and she found that she could taste things again.

Lavender waited for her by the entrance door, bunched up in warm robes and a large pale lilac woollen scarf. Hermione too had dug out a knitted hat, mittens and a warm scarf. The two Gryffindors agreed to take a lap around the lake since the weather wasn't too bad, the sun was nearly out and the ground was almost dry for once.

"I know we haven't exactly been the closest of friends, but I'd like to think that perhaps we might find some sort of common ground once we stopped being dormmates," Hermione began.

Lavender nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry for how we treated you, you know. We weren't exactly kind."

Hermione shrugged and thought back to the overheard whispered conversations that Parvati and Lavender had held in either of their beds, with curtains carefully pulled aside just enough to make it seem accidental, and the sighs and rolled eyes the pair had made at her appearance and studiousness especially in their early years. "Well, we were kids, weren't we? And I'm not exactly easy to live with either."

"Yeah, but still. I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

They'd made it down to the lake and were following the path around it. All the trees were bare save for the evergreens but it was still nice to be out in the fresh Scottish December air. It hadn't rained for a few days but the ground was still wet and muddy in places. The Giant Squid was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you planning to do next year?" Lavender asked.

"Oh, I'm signing on for an apprenticeship, starting already in January actually."

"Really? What subject? Charms?" Lavender eyed her curiously, eyes finally showing a bit of life.

"No, Potions and Arithmancy. Under Professor Snape and Professor Vector," Hermione admitted.

"Wow, a double? And those subjects? Congratulations, glad it's not me!"

Hermione laughed at her honesty. "So what are you planning after graduation?"

"Oh, I'm thinking of setting up some sort of business in beauty charms or other products, or maybe clothes design."

"Really? Do you have samples started already?"

"Yes, we've started experimenting a bit already with some beauty creams and also created a few charms for hairdos. Parvati and I are decent at Charms and Padma is good at Potions so it's a good starting point."

Hermione nodded. "It's the three of you then?"

"Yeah. But we don't quite know what direction to go in and how to make it into a business. Like, should we open up a shop or set up a mail order or try to sell things through someone else? Things like that. And pricing, marketing and so on."

"Yeah, that's complicated. Look, if you wish I could get you in touch with Fred and George Weasley, they're good at business, maybe you could get some ideas from them?"

Lavender shot her a quick smile. "Oh … yeah that would be very nice. Thanks, Hermione."

They continued around the lake. Halfway around it there was a clearing with a bench overlooking the lake and castle, but today it looked too dreary to sit on. Finally Hermione couldn't keep her thoughts away from one of the main reasons she had sought Lavender out.

"I'm glad Ron had you there until the end, you know. He was one of my best friends but the two of you made sense together."

Lavender's breath hitched and she stopped in her tracks, tears coursing freely down her face. "Thanks, I miss him lots."

"So do I."

"Could you … could you tell me about it? How he died?"

She looked at Hermione with large, pleading eyes but Hermione didn't quite know how to answer that.

"Umm … did you know he was the one who planned the final confrontation with Voldemort and the Death Eaters? He did a really good job with it too."

"Really? No, I never heard anything."

Hermione reluctantly told the blonde Gryffindor a little about the plans and the attack on the Manor, how they had made it through the building only to be caught by Bellatrix, that they were saved by Lucius Malfoy and then infiltrating the throne room.

"So in the confusion when Professor Dumbledore had done his thing and died, Harry tried rushing to him and somehow Yaxley broke free and threw a curse towards Harry. Ron saw it and pushed Harry aside, taking the curse for himself. He died quickly. Bill Weasley immediately killed Yaxley."

"Wow, that's horrible! No one had told me about it, you know. Was he in pain?"

Hermione didn't really want to answer that. "It was quick."

She took a shaky breath and fished for some tissue paper for both of them.

"We never got around to making it official, and then it was too late," Lavender commented.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I know, everyone's been assuming that I am the one mourning him like a girlfriend, not you. It's been rather uncomfortable but I can't imagine what it's been like for you. Mrs Weasley is still treating me like a daughter-in-law-to-be, I haven't figured out how to tell her."

Lavender surprised her by catching her in a hard embrace. "Thank you, it was good to talk a bit. I too hope we can become friends now, being all grown up and all that."

"Yeah, being through a war does tend to make you grow up a bit," Hermione said dryly. "But yes I'd like that too."

They continued in silence around the lake, but it felt a bit more comfortable than earlier. Before they made it back all the way to the Castle, Lavender stopped her again.

"Look, I know you heard about Harry and I …"

"Yeah, what was that about?"

"Could you please tell Ginny that I'm sorry? Harry said that they had broken up, and he was talking about Ron and everything and somehow we ended up in bed although I never really wanted to sleep with him and Ginny found us. I don't know why it happened really, he talked me into it and didn't listen when I said it wasn't a good idea and it was only the one time, I'm not going to try to hook up with him."

Hermione nodded slowly. "I'll talk to Ginny but you need to do it as well, you know. And I really do hope Harry gets his head screwed on straight, he should never have done that."

"Yeah, I know," Lavender had said with a sigh.

~x~x~x~

Another stray thought had her stop in her tracks on the way back to the castle from the train station and stare sightlessly out over the lake. Severus Snape. Soon no longer her Professor but her Master. She missed him fiercely despite having seen him in classes twice a week and during his office hours with Draco. She missed reading books together with him, their arguments about research theories or other areas, his quick sarcastic wit, his bed and his physical presence. She realised that she even missed grading first-years Potions essays for him. They hadn't had any alone time since that weekend with the Pensieve, the unicorn and the night in his bed. He had asked her to stay after the next regular Potions class and quietly told her that he couldn't spend time alone with her like that until she was done with the Potions NEWT, it was too difficult. She did understand, but protested anyway.

"It's not forever, you know, unless you plan to fail the Potions NEWT and stay behind another couple of years studying?" His eyebrow rose and a lopsided smirk played on his lips.

"I'll make you proud," she had answered.

"Make yourself proud," he had replied and finally kissed her. It was sweet and full of longing, yet more subdued than what they had shared the weekend before.

Before she left the classroom another thought struck.

"There's just one thing …" she began and nibbled her lower lip again.

"Yes?"

"I think I would like some more explanations for the Malfoys' behaviour. I just can't make sense of it. What happened, exactly?"

He looked at her for a long second and traced his lips with a long finger. She itched to claim it for herself, finger or lips, either would do.

"I see. I shall arrange something."

~x~x~x~

During her potentially, hopefully, last Potions class as his student just before the Christmas break, he had set the whole class to brewing contraceptive potions. There was a male and a female version and the students could choose which one to brew, but Draco and Hermione had been told to brew both simultaneously. It had been an interesting class with lots of red cheeks as he had talked about the hows, whys and whens of contraception in much more detail than anyone had with them earlier.

"You are all of age now, well in theory anyway, and as such many of you likely are or want to be sexually active already. We shall talk about contraception today which I do with all my seventh-years since I would rather not teach your pesky little offspring in twelve years' time. At the end of this class, if your potion is acceptable, I will allow you to take six months' worth of it with you. The remainders will be sent to Poppy and available to all in the hospital wing."

Hermione and Draco had agreed to help each other out with the ingredient preparations for both potions in order to be more efficient, each of them chopping twice what they needed for their own potion and sharing the ingredients between them. By now they were working rather well as a team, and Hermione had found that she rather liked the blond boy who actually could keep up with his work academically.

"Gentlemen, when you start using this potion you need to clear the system, as it were, twice at minimum before it is effective," he had said and looked around the room at the red cheeks of his male students while the girls giggled.

"If you can't talk about it, what makes you think you are mature enough to carry out the act?" he had snapped and glared at all of them before describing in gleeful detail what he meant and why. He also showed them how to make sure it was safe, had them all practice two contraceptive charms and asked Hermione to show the class how to set up a simple monthly alarm. The male potion needed to be taken once a month and the female version should be taken on the first day of bleeding, and then monthly.

~x~x~x~

Neville caught up with her before she entered the Castle, and promptly led her off to Greenhouse Seven despite her protests that she needed to study. It seemed that all the seventh-year students who were staying behind were meeting up in there for an impromptu party. Although she was the only Gryffindor to attempt NEWTs early, the other Houses had a few people wanting to test out. History of Magic and Astronomy were popular with the Ravenclaws while a few of the Slytherins wanted to test out of Herbology or Defence, and there was a stray Hufflepuff taking one or two subjects. Some students would stay for other reasons mainly related to the war, with parents killed or imprisoned, and a few of them chose to test out of one or two subjects as a way to pass the time.

"Hey Granger," Theo Nott greeted her and handed her a pint of something frothy that smelled of apples.

"Hard cider?" she queried, a bit surprised. She'd never seen wizards drink anything but Butterbeer and Firewhisky, and perhaps regular Muggle beer.

"Yeah, we had a bit of a special project in Herbology this year," he said and indicated Blaise Zabini who waved at her lazily with his tankard.

"I hope you imbued it with special test-taking powers," she muttered and took a swig. It was rather good, actually, and felt surprisingly potent.

To her surprise she found herself relaxing in the company of her year-mates that she hadn't had the time or the energy to talk to during the term. Draco and Neville were learning odd Muggle drinking songs from Justin Finch-Fletchley, Blaise and Lisa Turpin played wizard's chess which somehow ended in a chess figure bloodbath and both of them losing, and Tracey Davis came over to tell Hermione that she would have made a decent Slytherin after all. Someone called for some food from the kitchens and the elves seemed to have outdone themselves, preparing a full buffet for them. Hermione finally begged off and made her way back to the castle in an unusually good mood.

~x~x~x~

The next day she dragged herself down to the library to review Herbology and History of Magic after breakfast. She was nearly completely buried in dusty old tomes on Goblin wars and the Statute of Secrecy when Winky suddenly appeared next to the desk.

"Master of Potions wants Miss to come to the dungeons, Miss Head Girl!"

"Oh, hi Winky. Give me a minute to sort out my books."

Winky did nothing of the sort, however, and merely snapped her fingers which sent all the heavy tomes flying back to their shelves before the elf grabbed Hermione's wrist and Apparated both of them into her professor's quarters.

Severus was seated in one of his armchairs, long legs crossed at the ankles, book in hand, and looked up sharply when the two of them popped in. Hermione felt suddenly nervous when seeing his raised eyebrow, it didn't look like he had expected her just then.

"Thank you, Winky, you certainly are most efficient."

He rose from his chair and waved her over to the dining table where he had already set up a Pensieve swirling with memories. The white misty strands wove slowly through each other and faint figures could occasionally be seen rising from the bowl.

"You mentioned the Malfoys, this should explain what happened. Are you interested in seeing it?"

She nodded and soon they fell in together through the grey mist and landed in a chaotic scene. They were in a cramped and dark stairwell, on their way up to the top of the Astronomy tower by the looks of it. Present-day Severus told her to hurry up and they made it to the top of the tower just ahead of memory-Severus, right as Draco cast a strong protective shield around Professor Dumbledore before he Summoned a broom and jumped off the parapet. Several Death Eaters stood around where Draco had been, turning to face Severus. Hermione could make out Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback, and Severus pointed out the Carrow siblings.

"The Aurors are on their way, we must leave! Why did you not set a ward on the tower?"

"Um, Snape, shouldn't we get rid of Dumbledore first?" Amycus Carrow asked, brows furrowed. Bellatrix was nearly frothing at the mouth nearby but Severus managed to step between her and Professor Dumbledore, seemingly by accident.

"No time to get through that shield before the Aurors are here but if you'd rather stay here and wait for them, be my guest. I shall be delighted to let the Dark Lord know that you got yourselves killed due to your own incompetence."

It looked like Bellatrix and Fenrir were going to object but suddenly all of them heard the door at the bottom of the tower opening, and all the Death Eaters rushed to the entrance.

" _Freeze,"_ Severus said. _"We shall skip to the next memory. In short, I had disabled their ward on the way up so that the Aurors could enter. I rounded up the others, managed to let the Aurors know that Albus was incapacitated at the top of the Tower, and forced all of them to go to Malfoy Manor to report. As you might recall, Bill Weasley was injured during the fight but I managed to take Amycus down when no one was watching."_

" _What did Voldemort do? Were you hurt?"_

" _Not too badly since I didn't know of Draco's plans. Lucius was severely punished for his son's failure, along with Bellatrix and the others."_

The scene whirled around them, and suddenly they were dumped on a dilapidated street in front of a ramshackle house at the end of the row. Hermione saw Memory-Severus go very still, scanning the neighbourhood with a raised wand until he saw a dark-clad figure lying shivering on his front porch, sloppily Disillusioned. The figure rose stiffly and removed the hood of his cloak.

"Uncle Severus," Draco said.

"What are you doing here?"

Severus hastily unwarded the door and pushed Draco inside into a cramped and rather shabby sitting room. The furniture was old, worn and not well looked after. Bookshelves lined every possible wall, full with dusty tomes of a clear Wizarding nature mixed with some tattered old Muggle paperbacks here and there. Across from the entrance door Hermione could spot a small kitchen with a small rickety table by the window.

"I'm taking a chance on you. I had nowhere else to go and I'm gambling on you being on the right side and that you won't sell me out to that scaly madman." Draco was rubbing his hands as he spoke, trying to bring them back to life.

"You flew all the way here? How did you know my address?"

Severus stalked off to a bookshelf and pushed on one of the book which caused a secret compartment with several deep shelves to appear. He pulled out several potions, tossed one to Draco and downed three different potions himself before stiffly lowering himself with a groan in one of the formerly-green dusty armchairs. Draco eyed the furniture suspiciously before gingerly settling on the faded green velvet couch as he downed his Pepper-Up potion.

"I flew all the way. I've been outside once but heard Mother and dear Aunt Bella talk about your place last summer."

"What were you thinking, Draco?! First that wretched scheme of yours which you refused to tell me anything about, and now you show up here of all places?"

Draco rose suddenly and started pacing the tiny room again, pulling a hand through his lank blond hair as the steam hissed from his ears. "I couldn't, Uncle Severus! Alright? My father sold me out to a lunatic and forced me to try to kill the greatest wizard alive. Bellatrix kept pushing me to do it and she and Yaxley were always pushing for updates on the cabinet. What should I do? Will the madman try to kill my parents instead?"

"We shall work it out, Draco. Calm down. I need to think about this, you have made quite a mess of everything. For the moment you may use the spare bedroom upstairs. Keep all your belongings there if you have any with you, in case we get unwanted visitors."

Severus rose stiffly and started limping up the stairs to the bedroom. Hermione was surprised by the state of everything, the house and furniture were unkempt and of poor quality, not what she had expected of a powerful wizard who could easily have upgraded everything magically. It seemed Draco shared her apprehension if his wide-eyed stares were anything to go by, but his impeccable Malfoy breeding meant that he kept quiet.

"Since you are here, mind helping me with my back?" Severus Summoned a healing balm from the bathroom.

"Sure, what happened?"

"The Dark Lord happened, of course. Although I got off lighter than Dear Bella or your father." He struggled out of his coat and shirt, displaying several lines of angrily weeping sores criss-crossing his back.

"Merlin," Draco breathed as he started to apply the salve.

" _Freeze,"_ Severus said again. _"The next couple of days were hectic with meetings with the Dark Lord as well as the Order. If you recall this is roughly when Mr Weasley stepped in and started talking about the new plan to break into Malfoy Manor. I saw no better options and Albus was rapidly losing touch with reality due to the curse on his hand."_

The memory shifted and Severus explained that he had just returned from an Order meeting. Hermione saw that the house looked slightly better than previously and suspected that Draco had been scaling the walls due to not being able to go outside. He had apparently updated Severus' boyhood room with a deep blue wallpaper, cream curtains, a solid iron bedframe and a fluffy mattress, along with a birch drawer and desk. They saw Draco struggling with a pot of pasta and a pan of bacon almost burned to a crisp, which Severus quickly salvaged into pasta carbonara.

" _Well, he gets points for trying,"_ Hermione said and Severus smirked in return.

"We need to plot, Draco."

They ate at the newly Transfigured table, now a rich mahogany brown which clashed neatly with the rest of the still worn-down kitchen.

"The Order wants to go after the Dark Lord at the Manor within a few weeks' time. It is becoming too dangerous for me to keep you here and I need to do something to strengthen my position with him so that I can find out the best time for the attack."

"I want to help, I'm tired of being holed up here."

"I will send you elsewhere but I shall need to prove to him that I have found and disposed of you."

Draco nodded and they started plotting a duel which Severus could use as a foundation for a false memory of Draco's death.

"Here," the young man said and slid a distinctive signet ring off his finger. "My father will recognise this ring and know that it doesn't come off unless I'm dead and you have chopped my finger off."

In the evening they Apparated to one of the Malfoy summer estates, and staged a duel that ended with Draco falling down at Severus' feet.

"Ouch, did you have to hit me so hard?" Draco muttered.

"You shouldn't complain, you are dead."

He pulled the young man to his feet and Side-Along Apparated him without warning. They appeared just outside the boundaries of the tall, rickety house that Draco never would have visited voluntarily. As they waited for someone to notice them, Severus began preparing his mental defences and the false memory for the Dark Lord.

Arthur and Molly soon came rushing out towards them, followed by the twins and Miss Weasley.

"Severus? What is the meaning of this?" Arthur asked him.

"Arthur, Molly, I need you to take someone in for a while. He is not to be seen outside of these protective boundaries or at the other safe house. He has a death warrant due to his choice not to kill the Headmaster." He waved at Draco who nervously eyed all of them.

"But why here?" Molly asked.

Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "I couldn't very well take him to Black's place, could I? It is owned by Potter. Keep him safe and try not to let any of the kids kill each other. Draco, try to make yourself useful and never accept any gifts from the twins."

The latter statement was met with protests from the two red-heads in question who had joined the cluster of Weasleys. Draco looked panicked at being surrounded by so many Gryffindors.

"I must be off. Until later." Severus nodded at Arthur, Molly and Draco and swiftly Apparated away to Spinner's End before anyone could trap him with more questions.

" _I requested an audience with the Dark Lord immediately, luckily he was in a reasonably good mood."_ Hermione nodded and they saw the memory swirl again, this time taking them to what she recognised as the Malfoy gardens, with slightly overgrown rose bushes and clusters of weeds in the flower beds.

" _The gardens were always Narcissa's pride and joy and always immaculately kept apart from when Lucius' white peacocks tore up her flower beds. I always suspected that he kept the birds just to annoy her, so that she had something to complain about."_

An elf waited at the top of the grand marble stairs and told Severus to proceed to the small ballroom where the Dark Lord had set up court. He walked through the empty marble corridors, lined with paintings that Narcissa had silenced in a fit of pique some years earlier. Hermione thought that even in a memory the whole house felt tense and oppressed, despite the displayed opulence. She said as much to Severus who nodded as they followed Memory-Severus through the rich mahogany doors guarded by Rookwood, into the completely silent ballroom. The room was lavishly decorated as everything in the Manor, the dark wooden floor polished until the lights from the floating crystal chandeliers were mirrored in it, the walls were decorated with gold inlays on a rich blue background and heavy velvet curtains framed the large windows that opened up towards one of the Manor's many gardens. Now only half of the chandeliers were lit and Dolohov, Wormtail and the Malfoy couple were standing on either side of the Dark Lord's throne-like chair set on the raised dais where musicians would play if the ballroom was used for its intended purpose. Memory-Severus took the final few steps and knelt in front of the Dark Lord's throne.

"Severusss …"

He didn't move from his position.

"You dare request an audience? Let uss hope that your newsss are worth it. Rise, Severus."

Hermione saw Memory-Severus stiffen as he locked eyes with Voldemort and guessed he was using Legilimency.

" _He was always a very brutal Legilimens, I always ended up with a nasty headache,"_ Severus commented.

The Dark Lord smiled nastily and turned to face the Malfoys.

"It seems Severuss has managed to do what the resst of you haven't. The traitor son is dead. Severuss, do you have any proof to bring to your hosts?"

Severus dug the ring out from his frock coat and tossed it to Lucius who immediately understood. He paled and stared at Severus wide-eyed.

"Draco … This is Draco's ring. It cannot be removed unless he is dead."

Severus bowed his head slightly. "Thanks to your dear sister-in-law Bellatrix, I was able to trace him down to one of your country estates. He fought fiercely but not very well. There was not much left to bury and I might have redecorated your front lawn a bit."

Narcissa fell to the floor screaming until the Dark Lord silenced her with an impatient spell.

"What do you say, Luciuss?"

The blond man fell to his knees in front of the Dark Lord's throne, his son's ring clasped in his hand.

"I … I wish to thank Severus for taking out the boy who was a traitor to your cause, my lord," he said hoarsely.

"Very good, Luciuss. You nearly have me convinced. I feel magnanimous today in light of such good news, so I won't punish you for lacking the foresight to check your estates yourself. Take your wife and get out of my sight."

"Thank you, my lord. You are most kind."

Lucius kissed the hem of the Dark Lord's robes before he stumbled to his feet and went over to his wife. He roughly pulled her to her feet and half dragged, half carried her out of the room. She was still screaming under the silencing charm. He shot Severus a look while he was struggling with his wife.

Once the Malfoys were out the Dark Lord idly asked him if there were any other news from Hogwarts or the Order, apart from what his Legilimency had shown him. Severus shook his head and answered that they were disorganised and confused after the Astronomy Tower incident, but mentioned that Potter would come of age at the end of July and his mother's protection would vanish. He made his excuses as soon as he could without risking the Dark Lord's ire, always a risky situation. As he moved out of sight from Rookwood, a house elf suddenly appeared and without preamble took his hand and Apparated them both to Lucius' private study.

"Thimble, ensure that the room is secure from eavesdropping by anyone," Lucius told the elf and waved at Severus to take a seat in one of the leather couches in front of the fire. Severus eyed him warily, he did not at all look like a man who had just been told that his only son, his only child and heir, had been murdered by the man he had just invited for a private chat. Lucius sat down opposite him and urged him to take the glass of cognac that had just appeared in front of him.

"I'll get straight to the point, old friend," Lucius said and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he took his own glass of cognac. "It took me a moment to realise what must have happened. You see, what Draco might not have remembered is that a ring such as this will change colour if it is taken by force. You see this diamond here?"

He held up the ring in question towards Severus. The large diamond glittered like icy gold in the firelight. Hard to miss such a gaudy display of wealth.

"If what you described to our demented overlord was true, this diamond would have turned blood red. Now, since Draco instead gave it to you, he is clearly still alive. Which means, you spun an elaborate web of lies to the Dark Lord, which in turn means that both of you are on the other side of this stupid war. With me so far?"

Lucius gave him a sardonic smile and calmly sipped his drink. Memory-Severus had gone very still and very quiet.

"You are a clever man, old friend, and the fact that I didn't immediately alert our dear insane master should tell you something, shouldn't it?"

Severus didn't answer but frowned and took another sip of his cognac.

Lucius chuckled suddenly. "By the way, I must really do something about this lapse of knowledge of my son's. Apparently he also didn't remember that this ring holds the key to the Malfoy fortune. Since Draco gave it to you and it didn't change colour, you could have used it to gain access to all our vaults at Gringotts. You were the richest man in the country there for a while, without knowing it. I thank you for returning it." He raised his glass in a toast and smirked.

"You do realise that everything just went from dangerous to positively insane, right?" Severus asked the blond man and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I cannot deny what you have better knowledge of than I do, but you must understand why I should not even confirm what you just said."

"Certainly. You must be a master Occlumens to be able to hide all that from everyone, and we both know I'm not. Let me tell you my position, then. I first started to understand what an absolute and unmitigated disaster the Dark Lord was during my stint in Azkaban, after the debacle in the Ministry. His agenda doesn't make sense and his erratic behaviour is not exactly inspiring confidence in his leadership, and his insistence on Malfoys bending the knee doesn't sit right with me, after all everyone knows that the Malfoys are on top of society, right? Furthermore, this hatred against Muggleborns also seems a bit irrational once you start looking into it, although I still retain the belief that most of them are uncivilised louts and not fit for proper company. However, when I was released thanks to, in part, your efforts, I found myself imprisoned here in my own home instead and couldn't see a way out. We have been surrounded by the likes of the rat and Dear Bella, and it seemed safer to play along rather than to try to break out. When Draco chose to step away from his path I felt relieved that he wouldn't have to surrender to this madness, even if it meant a lot of punishment for myself. As long as he is safe, I can bear it."

Severus nodded. "Draco is safe for now, as much as anyone is. He might not be as comfortable as he is used to, but he is safe."

"Thank you," Lucius whispered and closed his eyes for a moment, collecting himself. "So where does this take us? I will help you as far as I can. We need to set up a secure means of communication and I need a way to hide all of this from certain prying eyes."

"I can brew a potion that muddles your mind a bit. It will make your thinking a little slower but above all it makes Legilimency near useless. You still have to watch your acting and make absolutely sure that none of them suspect anything, especially Bella who is too clever for her own good. As for help, right now I can say that there are plans underway and we will need assistance with infiltrating the Manor when the time comes."

Severus drained the cognac.

Lucius nodded. "Thank you, and that sounds doable. I guess you'd rather not stay the night?"

"Not until your guests have moved out. I shall be in touch. Perhaps your elves might be of use for communication."

The memories ended and Hermione found herself in Severus' quarters again.

"You more or less know the rest. I delivered the Mind-Boggling Potion to Lucius with the help of Winky and Lucius' house elf, and then Mr Weasley actually managed to plan the raid from that. As you heard from Draco, this event together with the curse that Bellatrix used on her broke Narcissa's mind."

"You were right, that was completely insane," Hermione agreed. "I'm glad I didn't know exactly how dangerous it was, but thank you for showing me this. Knowing what the Malfoys thought helps a lot."

Severus nodded. "It is time for lunch. Come, let us go up to the Great Hall so that Minerva doesn't get too anxious."


	13. A Bead In Darkness

**A Bead In Darkness**

Severus had been very busy in the weeks leading up to Christmas, but once the students had left he could finally relax. The castle was nearly quiet, with only a few students remaining over the holidays, although there were more of them around than usual partly due to families being torn apart due to the War. He had several Slytherins that had lost a parent either due to raids or imprisonment, but other houses had their share of parents killed by Death Eaters.

Unfortunately, the Narcissa potion was no closer to a solution than previously. He had not been able to properly incorporate the unicorn blood or horn since the first base he tried wasn't suitable for that ingredient. Developing a new base would take at least two months and require several long days with intense focus although he did have a few ideas that he wanted Hermione to look at once she had signed the Apprenticeship contract. He was painfully aware of time ticking away. They needed to get it right, Narcissa wouldn't be able to withstand too many attempts either.

No matter what he was doing, his thoughts kept straying to her. Hermione. Miss Granger. His soon-to-be apprentice. That first encounter back in September was something he had initiated completely on a whim, due to boredom, temporary post-war insanity and a desire to make her uncomfortable, but somehow their connection had grown since then and now he found himself missing her fiercely. She actually seemed to appreciate his company, against all odds and prior experience, and he enjoyed the time with her as well. Appreciation, or was it more than that already? Although he had told her that he had no claims on her, if she would come and say that she had found a … a _boyfriend_ , his heart would surely shatter, especially if she was still his Apprentice at the time. But how could he possibly lay any claims to her? Surely a younger, more handsome, lively young wizard would come by and snatch her up, someone with an easy smile and actual people skills?

Reviewing the war memories had actually been good for him too. He had thought that he wasn't too badly affected by the events but viewing them again together with Hermione had made him able to objectively observe what had happened. She hadn't judged him or flinched from his actions, and he hadn't spotted any major errors in what he did. The nightmares and insomnia that usually plagued him had almost completely receded, he realised with some surprise, either due to their Pensieve sessions or simply due to the presence in his life of a young witch with impossible hair. He didn't miss Albus much either, but rather found he could think of him with that sort of fond remembrance one might have for old relatives once they had passed. The old Headmaster had been badly affected by the curse on his hand during the last school year, requesting that Severus be the one to kill him, not that he had agreed of course. It was as if the old man had sought, and given, absolution with that final act of wiping out the Dark Mark on Severus, Draco and Lucius.

He'd visited Prince Hall once more. He was still mad at Aemiliana for springing the whole estate on him like that, but as Draco had pointed out there were no hidden clauses in the documents at either the Ministry or Gringotts, save for the perfectly reasonable request that Aemiliana wasn't to be cast out from her home. She had apologised to him for springing it on him that way and showed him a bit more of the estates and grounds.

~x~x~x~

The following Tuesday he made the trek up to the Headmistress' office after breakfast. The NEWTs had started the previous day, and he had heard from Pomona that the students seemed to have managed well on Herbology. He had promised Minerva that he would supervise the students going to the History of Magic exam since Professor Binns was obviously unsuited for the task. Minerva wanted to replace the ghost with someone who was preferably alive, and apparently Remus had suggested that Andromeda or Ted Tonks might be suitable for the post. _Anyone would be better than Binns,_ Severus thought as he greeted Minerva and waited for the students. A few Ravenclaws and a stray Hufflepuff shuffled in, and Miss Granger too of course. Hermione. His heart jolted as he saw her.

"How did yesterday go, Miss Granger?" the Headmistress asked.

"I hope I did alright, I didn't write enough on a few questions near the end but the practical test wasn't too hard." Hermione looked tired already.

"I'm sure you exceeded the maximum possible points, Miss Granger," Severus interjected.

"Good luck to all of you, and remember that you represent Hogwarts while at the Ministry," the Headmistress admonished the students before ushering them all through the Floo network. One by one, they tossed a pinch of powder into the flames and yelled out "Ministry for Magic" before disappearing in a flash of green.

The entrance hall was busy as usual, and he made sure to keep the students in a tight cluster as they made their way down the hallway towards the elevators. The hallway and atrium appeared to have been restored to its former grandeur, with the peacock-blue ceiling where gleaming golden symbols were moving around, and the wood panels around the gilded fireplaces bore no sign of hex damage. The Fountain of Magical Brethren had been changed, however, and now only a gilded Infinity symbol wove lazily between jets of water shooting up from the midnight blue pool with sparkling starlike lights inside. It was surprisingly tasteful for being the Ministry and Severus wondered who had been in charge of the design.

They cleared security and made their way to the Magical Law Enforcement offices where apparently the School Overseeing Bureau was housed. A clerk met up with them and ushered them through the hallways into the testing hall where some desks were set out one-by-one with parchments already on them. A few desks were already occupied with others also taking the test.

"Good luck, all of you," he told his delegation tersely while his eyes sought out Hermione's. She shot him a tight smile before ensconcing herself at one of the desks with a bunch of quills.

He had a few errands to run meanwhile, the students had four hours for their exam and he wasn't exactly planning on spending those in the corridor outside. Luckily he didn't run into anyone he knew as he made his way back to the entrance, and those he didn't know shied from his customary scowl and purposeful step with robes billowing behind him, just as he intended.

Gringotts was reasonably calm that early in the day, the goblins working on calculations and inventory ledgers at the counters with only a few of them busy with clients. The clerk looked him over but nodded and accepted his claim to the Prince vaults, calling for an assistant who went to fetch the keys to the vaults. The clerk took him to the carts to make the gruelling trek down to the vaults, first checking his private vault and then the two Prince vaults that were located much deeper down than his own. As Draco had said, there wasn't much left in them. He did find a few interesting old tomes that buzzed with Dark magic, and a chest full of rare potions ingredients that Iodocus must have overlooked since they didn't appear to be worth much. He arranged with the clerk to have it delivered to Prince Hall but left the books in place. Next on the list was Potions business. For Hogwarts he usually got most of the standard ingredients from Bobbin's Apothecary in Hogsmeade, but he had connections at several Apothecaries in Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley and elsewhere. The first order of business was to procure equipment, and after some quality checks and severe haggling he had an order placed for cauldrons, cutting boards, knives, scales, stirring rods of various types, and other necessary items. He would also take most of the equipment from his Hogwarts lab that he had purchased with his own money over the years. He was glad for his spartan habits during his Hogwarts employment, giving him a bit of a head start on funding the new business.

A brief but necessary stop at Madam Malkin's was next, to sort out Apprentice robes for Hermione and some wardrobe updates for himself. Flourish and Blotts had most of the books he wanted to get for Hermione and he couldn't resist the lure of a few new books on Herbology, Runes and their use in wards, and Egyptian curses.

~x~x~x~

When he made it back to the corridor outside the testing hall a few students were already waiting for him while some were still busy writing, including Hermione of course. The Ministry clerk threw all of them out once the time was up, and Severus herded them back to the Floos. Hermione pulled him aside to ask if they could Apparate back instead and walk from Hogsmeade to catch some air, but he had a better plan. The other students were sent ahead in the Floo with a message to the Headmistress that the two of them would return later, before Severus guided Hermione over to the Apparition point and caught her in his arms, spinning them away before she could think of a destination.

"Where are we? This isn't Hogsmeade?" Hermione looked up at him with a frown, biting her lower lip. She still held on to his arm and he wasn't one to remind her to let him go.

"Indeed not. Welcome to Prince Hall."

She stared wide-eyed at the large Tudoresque manor building in light beige limestone flanked by a few outbuildings. He had prepared an Apparition spot in front of the main entrance doors, overlooking the elaborate if neglected front lawn and formal gardens. They walked the gravel paths around the main building and he showed her the remains of the kitchen and potions gardens overlooking a small lake next to an unruly forest. The manor building was shaped roughly like an E with the formal entrance at the middle of the long part and the wings stretching towards the back, with the Grand Hall in the middle forming the central part of the E. The ground sloped down behind the building towards the lake so that the entrance level at the front was the first floor at the back, allowing for a terraced balcony along the length of it between the two wings.

"This is absolutely wonderful," she said and bent down to have a look at one of the wilted starthistles left behind in the potions garden.

"Well, not yet, but maybe one day. Are you hungry?"

Her stomach appeared to answer for her as it gave off a loud rumble. He ushered her up the marble stairs to the terrace where large glass doors led into a nice sunroom. Several large potted plants stood by the windows, including two citrus trees and a small palm tree. The walls were whitewashed and a small cherry wood dining table stood in the middle of the room. Tinsel appeared instantly, dressed in a new neatly monogrammed black tunic made from a bale of cloth he had given her, and flapped her ears at them.

"Master wants food?" she squeaked.

"Yes please, for two."

"You have a house elf?!" Hermione frowned at him.

"Two here actually, that was Tinsel and then there's Grumpy who tends the garden and exterior. They've lived here their whole lives. Several other elves were apparently sold in order to raise money for a lavish lifestyle and for the Dark Lord."

"Oh. I see. Grumpy, really?"

Severus shrugged. "Not exactly my idea, and besides, the name suits him."

Tinsel appeared again with two plates of fish and chips with tartar sauce and mushy peas, together with a carafe of sparkling water with slices of pear in it.

"Thank you, Tinsel. Please meet Hermione Granger who will if all goes well be my Potions Apprentice come the new year."

"Nice to meet you, Tinsel," Hermione said cautiously.

"Miss Apprentice is welcome to Prince Hall!" Tinsel bowed and flapped her ears at Hermione before disappearing with a quiet pop.

The food was excellent after his busy morning, with a perfect balance of crispness and mushiness. It seemed as if Hermione too was hungrier than she thought as she cleaned her plate with a speed almost worthy of a Weasley.

After their meal they walked through the Hall's main floor to look at the various rooms. The elves had started to renovate the building under his supervision and most of the main floor was updated with oiled walnut floors and the walls were cream white above walnut half-panels in the corridors and some of the rooms. The bronze wall sconces were polished until they gleamed and the chandeliers had been dusted and glittered like diamonds. Ancestral portraits lined the walls of the corridors and some of the rooms. He was planning to move several of them around, keeping only those that were sensibly silent most of the time in the public areas and banishing a few of the most screechy ones to seldom-used rooms, but that would have to wait until he had more time to visit.

An elegantly curved double marble staircase in the Grand Hall led up to a balcony overlooking the hall, where guests could potentially mingle and oversee the festivities below, or grand announcements could be made. Double doors at the back of the Hall led to a drawing room above the entrance foyer, and other doors led from the drawing room to the corridors housing the bedrooms and more private areas. He hadn't had time to explore all the rooms on the first floor or below on ground level where the kitchen and various storage rooms were situated. Hermione trailed after him as they walked through the rooms, looking at old gadgets, various ancestors and outdated decorating styles.

He stopped, abruptly, the atmosphere in the house suddenly too stifling for him.

"I will show you the potions lab," he told her and took them down another staircase and out the front entrance. There were several other buildings on the estate, and one of them was a large barn that housed the old potions labs and distribution central. Severus called for Grumpy who instantly appeared with a scowl matching his master, but the elf's tone was deferential enough and he was starting to appreciate the elf who had solid knowledge of the place's history as well as of construction work and gardening. He had given the elf permission to do whatever renovations he deemed necessary to bring the place back up to a workable standard, and Grumpy seemed happy to see the old buildings getting a new life again. Severus hadn't spent long enough on the estate to know what was needed although the knowledge of it in his mind told him some of its general status, and so he was relieved to see that the elf was able to hold his own in arguments and knew what to do, not just backing down whenever his Master disagreed. It took some getting used to but Severus found he rather preferred that attitude over the complete servility that most house-elves had, at least when it was clear that the elf knew better than him.

The barn was whitewashed with an angled slate roof and several windows overlooking the Potions garden. A small octagonal tower on the roof seemed to have housed a parliament of owls or other delivery birds, if the bird droppings around it and multitude of bird-sized openings and perches was anything to go by. The interior was mostly empty with a couple huge copper cauldrons in a corner by the hearth, and a large marble stone bench below a window. There was an entrance foyer with room for dirty clothes and benches for tools but otherwise the whole barn was open up to the rafters and scrubbed clean. He suddenly felt anxious about her reaction as she checked out the building, trailing a hand along the wall or looking at the stonework. What if she didn't like it?

"I'm going to put up inner walls and ventilation systems. We will have three brewing rooms, one research room, one distribution room, one research office and one admin office in here in two stories."

"This is great, Severus! All of it!"

She turned around and threw her arms around him, and when he sought out her brown eyes she snaked her hands in his hair, pulling his head down for a kiss. He resisted at first before giving in, kissing her back passionately and feeling her melt in his arms. It was as if the world came alight again for the first time in weeks. As they parted for air she rested her forehead against his cheek and raised a hand to gently stroke his face, from his forehead down his temple to his jaw. He shivered at her light touch, wanting more.

"Home," she murmured and he couldn't help but nod and tighten his hold on her. They stood like that, still and silent, for quite some time before he sighed and said they had to return back to Hogwarts. She didn't let go of him as he Apparated both of them to the gates.


	14. Christmas is a State of Mind

**Christmas is a State of Mind**

Hermione spent a few hours revising Astronomy and Defence before she gave up and started packing her bag for the Christmas holidays. She didn't need much in terms of clothing since many of her regular Muggle clothes were still at home, but she packed some underwear and her preferred toiletries before digging out her Christmas gift stash and the books she needed to bring. It felt odd to not have a present for Harry, but she had settled for writing a letter that would be delivered to Moody, with a note for the ex-Auror to read it before passing it to Harry. She had outlined what she felt about him after his assault on her, and also about what she had heard from Lavender.

The next morning, Hermione had a quick breakfast in the Hall and sneaked down to the dungeons before she was to meet up with Draco and tackle the Burrow, already clad in her warm cloak over a Muggle dress and woollen stockings, all her belongings neatly shrunk in her handbag. She knocked on the door to Severus' quarters which opened almost immediately to let her in. He had apparently been reading something but rose from the chair by the fireplace as she entered. He looked relaxed, clad only in a white shirt and black slacks.

"Um, hi, I just wanted to wish you a happy Christmas. I'm heading to the Burrow with Draco and then home for Christmas day with my parents."

"Happy Christmas, Hermione."

She fished out the package she had for him from her bag and handed it to him. He looked rather stunned, both eyebrows shooting up high as he took it gingerly.

"Um, it's nothing much but I wanted to give this to you personally rather than sending it with the owls. Don't open it until Christmas, however."

He swiftly moved to the side table behind one of the armchairs and opened a drawer from which he pulled out a package wrapped in green with a golden ribbon. He handed it to her, still holding on to the parcel she had given him.

"In that case, thank you very much Hermione. This is for you, I will know if you cheat and open it too early."

"Thank you, Severus."

"Always," he murmured and stepped close to kiss her gently.

~x~x~x~

She hurried up the stairs to meet with Draco in the entrance hall, and together they walked down to the gates under the chilly December skies to make the Apparition to the Burrow. She was glad for the brazen Gryffindor woollen scarf and her warm winter robes against the wet and windy Scottish December weather. Once they arrived, they saw the front door of the rickety house being flung open and Ginny rushed out to meet them. She hugged Hermione before kissing Draco passionately. Fred and George were next to come up and greet them.

"So, little sis, this is how you …"

"… introduce your new boyfriend?"

"Shut it, both of you!" Ginny exclaimed and turned to glare at her brothers who grinned at her and shot off a synchronised wink at Draco who struck an elaborate bow at them in return.

"Good to see you both," Hermione said and they kissed her on both cheeks simultaneously. She rather liked the twins, they were quick-witted, clever and lighthearted. Apparently Draco had also learned to get along with them during his stay at the Burrow over the summer.

The quintet made their way into the house, only to be ambushed by Molly who immediately asked a thousand questions and pressed cups of mulled cider in their hands. She was busy preparing the Christmas eve lunch so everything was in a controlled state of chaos, with dishes flying overhead in various directions, knives chopping vegetables on their own, pots and pans bubbling on the stove and a ham in the oven.

Arthur came over to give her a hug in greeting. "Welcome home, Hermione."

"Thanks for having me, Arthur."

Bill and Fleur also showed up to greet her. She had always liked Bill although he hadn't been around much due to the age difference, but Hermione had always been interested in his many stories from his curse-breaking adventures. Fleur and Hermione had bonded over their French connections and their odd status as not-quite-daughter-in-law during the time before Molly had accepted Fleur into the family. Apparently Charlie would come in later in the evening and even Percy would show up on Christmas day, having reconciled with his family once the extent of Voldemort's inroads into the Ministry had become known, but the situation was still tense.

Slowly everyone gathered around the dining table for lunch in the typical chaotic Weasley style, and Hermione found herself seated between Draco and Fred. Ginny sat on the other side of Draco, as close as she could get away with. The Slytherin seemed more at ease in the sea of redheads than Hermione had expected, or maybe he was just a good actor, but he did seem to get along fine with Bill, Fleur and the twins at least. Hermione found herself slowly relaxing into the warm welcoming chaos that was the Weasley family, and realised how much she had missed them all.

Things went south after they had moved to the equally chaotic sitting room, to admire the WWW-decorated Christmas tree and have some hot Butterbeer, tea or other drink of choice. Molly had voluntold Ginny to help with the dishes and could be heard talking in increasing volume over the din of singing gnomes, enchanted bells and the twins' heated discussion with Draco over business strategies.

"You come here with a Malfoy and expect me to like it? When you could have had Harry Potter?"

"Mum! I told you why I broke up with Harry!" the youngest Weasley was saying in a voice that carried a little too well.

"I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding, Ginny, you should have given him a chance!" Molly's voice rose in pitch.

"A chance? He broke up with me by letting me find him in bed with Ron's girlfriend!"

"What? Hermione? She would never do that!"

Hermione's heart sank. Ginny wasn't always strategic when angry.

"Mum, no! Hermione wasn't Ron's girlfriend, it was Lavender Brown!"

"WHAT?!"

Hermione shared a worried look with Draco over her tea before the Weasley matriarch stormed out of the kitchen and approached Hermione with her arms crossed and pinched lips.

"Is what Ginny said true, Hermione? That you didn't love Ron? I treated you like my daughter, were you just toying with his feelings? Was there someone else? How could you do something like this to me! Did you come here to rub it all in further, that my son died because of you!"

"Ron and I were friends! He loved Lavender!" Hermione tried to interject but Molly just continued shrieking over her.

The twins and Bill rose, along with Arthur and Draco, and soon the whole room was in uproar. Hermione was in tears, Ginny tried and failed to get her mum to listen, but that only ended with Ginny too getting an earful for her choice of boyfriends. Eventually Bill and Arthur managed to steer Molly away from the rest of them.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, I didn't plan on telling her like that," Ginny was saying, hugging her friend.

"So am I, Ginny, I never knew your mum thought that of me."

"Come, Granger, I think we should be off," Draco said.

Fred and George agreed and they went to fetch their coats and bags before leaving the house. Hermione could barely button her coat, her hands were shaking too badly.

"Sorry bout our Mum …"

"… she's been bad ever since …"

"Ickle Ronniekins died."

Hermione nodded and hugged both of the twins simultaneously. "Thanks, yeah I miss him too you know, but I was his friend, not his girlfriend."

"Makes perfect sense …"

"… you weren't a good match. But …"

"… you're still our sister, you know."

She hugged both of them tight again, fighting down tears. She wouldn't cry on Mrs Weasley's doorstep. Hermione offloaded the gifts for the Weasleys on Ginny who promised to manage the distribution. The twins and Ginny said they would talk to Arthur, Bill and eventually Molly once things had calmed down a bit, but that they expected Arthur and Bill to understand her point.

"What about you, Draco?" Hermione finally said and fished out her Christmas gift for him too while she was at it.

"Oh, thanks, Granger. I'm leaving too, not that I'll feel more comfortable at the Manor but at least there are rooms to hide in if Father gets too annoying."Draco pulled out an elegantly wrapped gift for her too from his robes, and Hermione thanked him by hugging him too despite his embarrassment.

~x~x~x~

Her parents lived in a quiet upper-middle-class neighbourhood in a small Hampshire town. There was a secluded alley behind a primary school a short walk from their house which she often used for Apparition, having set discreet Muggle-repelling and Notice-me-not wards on it. Once she arrived her feelings caught up with her and she started sobbing, stumbling over to a nearby bench to sit down. Perhaps she should have seen it coming? After all she had been reluctant, as had Ron, to divulge their non-relationship status, mainly due to the fear that the Weasley matriarch would overreact. Thinking back to her earlier Hogwarts years, it was rather apparent that Hermione had either been a saint or a slut in Mrs Weasley's eyes depending mainly on her perceived status as daughter-in-law-to-be, no matter how undeserved either title actually had been.

After a while she managed to calm down and rose stiffly from the bench, pulling her cloak closed against the cold. Her parents' house was not far away, a large detached brownish-red brick house with white window trim, a sloping dark grey tiled roof and an immaculately kept garden. She didn't bother with her house keys but she did check that the wards she set last time were still in place before unlocking the dark brown front door with a quiet Alohomora. Somehow she didn't get that rush of relaxation that usually followed when she entered. It felt like her parents' home, not hers anymore.

"Mum? Dad? I'm home," she called as she entered and kicked off her winter boots in the small hallway, donning her comfy wool slippers instead.

"Hermione, are you here already? I thought you were staying with the Weasleys until evening?" Her dad arrived from the kitchen and gave her a hug. He was in the middle of cooking and still had a striped blue-and-white apron on over a simple blue button-down shirt and grey slacks. His greying hair was cut short but still showed the same brown colour as Hermione's, and his eyes matched hers as well in colour.

"Well, change of plans," she murmured indistinctly against his shoulder. He felt solidly comforting and smelled of his usual aftershave.

"Caroline is just out getting some last-minute things, she should be home in an hour. Come, you can help me prepare for tomorrow."

They were going to host Hermione's paternal aunt and her husband, as they always did, and this year her maternal grandmother Adeline would visit from France which Hermione was looking forward to since she hadn't seen her Mamie for several years. Still it felt odd to have to hide her true nature from her relatives since they knew nothing about magic or what had happened during the war. Hermione followed her father to the kitchen, put up her hair in a ponytail and dug out her own apron. It felt like a return to normalcy, helping her father out in the kitchen. Richard had always liked cooking elaborate meals and was usually in charge of the weekend dinners, and he and Hermione had spent countless hours bonding over recipes and techniques in the kitchen. Caroline, Hermione's mother, had never cared much for cooking, but Richard had learned several family recipes from his French mother-in-law.

They had nearly prepared everything they could for Christmas when Caroline arrived, arms full of shopping bags. As usual, she had basically started talking even before entering.

"Richard, be a dear and come help me with the bags, will you? The butcher was all out of pancetta, I hope you can make do anyway, I bought some prosciutto instead, and then I ran into Annie who said her daughter is moving to Edinburgh, could you imagine, it was just yesterday when she and Hermione were playing in the park …"

"Hi Mum," Hermione interjected when her mother had to come up for air, going over to kiss her cheeks.

"Oooh, _ch_ _érie_ , you're here already? And Papa has you working in the kitchen for him?"

"It's fine, we're nearly done anyway," Richard said, having put the bags aside.

They settled in the living room with some hot toddy. Caroline had already put up Christmas decorations and candles, making the room look warm and inviting, and Hermione quickly took her favourite spot in the corner of the sofa next to the window while her father sat in his customary armchair next to the fireplace. Hermione asked questions about their dental clinic, and Caroline was quick to regale them with stories about unruly patients.

"Now, dear 'Mionne, what happened today that made you come home earlier?" Caroline was suddenly asking, after a long story about old friends to the family. Her mother pronounced Hermione's name in French, as 'airmionne with a silent E at the end.

"Molly Weasley thought I was a slut for not dating her son and threw me out," Hermione blurted out without thinking, and instantly berated herself for her choice of words when her father spilled his tea and her mother sat up straight, eyes blazing in indignation.

" _Quoi?!_ Give me their address, I shall go set her straight right away! My daughter is no such thing!"

"Mum, no! It's just that she is so upset since Ron died in the war and she thought we were together but we had already decided we'd be better off as friends, and Ginny didn't mean to let it slip and …"

"War?! Did you say war? I thought he died in a car crash?" her mother snapped, eyes blazing.

 _Oh, I_ _'m so dead now._ Hermione didn't know what to say but there was no way to get her mother off the trail now, and her father would be even harder to distract. She took a deep breath and started to explain, trying to sketch over as many details as she could. "Well, you know my friend Harry Potter? He was kind of central to a conflict in the wizarding world …" she began and reluctantly started telling them a little more about the trio's adventures over the years, ending with the battle last summer.

"I should never have let you go to that school," Caroline said when Hermione had finished. "We thought you would outgrow these fantasies already, go to a good secondary school and continue on to medical school! Or Oxford!"

Hermione sat up straight. "Outgrow it? Mum, this is who I am! I can't outgrow it any more than I can grow an extra head!"

Her mother was apparently not convinced. "And why did you have to get involved in that kind of conflict? Couldn't you have said no? Let the adults handle it?"

"No, Mum, I couldn't have abandoned my friends, and besides I was one of the main targets partly due to the fact that you are my parents and neither of you has magical blood, and also due to my friendship with Harry."

"But you were just a child! My child!"

Too tired to argue anymore Hermione rose and told her parents that she would rest a little. She fetched her bag and fled upstairs to her room.

First the Weasleys and now her own parents, well mainly her mother. _A very happy Christmas to me,_ she thought wryly as she threw herself on her bed. Her room was just as she had left it, a reminder of her childhood, walls covered in somewhat faded dusty blue wallpaper with white butterflies. She had a single bed in the corner, a large wooden writing desk along the window overlooking the backyard, and several bookshelves stuffed with old schoolwork, Muggle novels and some popular science books. A CD player took up some space as well, with CDs stacked in a tower next to it so that they didn't take up valuable shelf space. She also had a large wardrobe full of her Muggle clothes, mainly summer clothing since she didn't live there the rest of the year. Her thoughts kept circling back to her friends, the war, Malfoy Manor, Severus Snape, Ron, Harry and back again. _Damn it all to hell. Why does it have to be so complicated?_

Her father called her down to dinner and they sat in uncharacteristic silence until he tried to lighten the mood by asking Hermione if she had seen his new computer. She gratefully pounced on the chance to talk about something other than her failure to be normal, the dangers she had been in, Weasleys, or anything related to the future. Gradually the conversation settled into their normal patterns, discussing plays, astronomy, popular science, literature and language, and Hermione could finally relax. They decorated the Christmas tree together, and Caroline played a few Christmas carols on the piano. Hermione had learned to play the piano too but since there hadn't been any chance to practice at Hogwarts she was not as good as she wanted to be, and was reluctant to let others listen.

~x~x~x~

The next morning, Christmas day, Hermione woke early to find her father in the kitchen making coffee and tea. She smelled croissants, a couple of eggs were boiling on the stove and Richard had already set up some jams and marmalades for toast.

"Good morning honey, did you sleep well?" her father asked and handed her a steaming mug of tea with a generous splash of milk.

"Thanks, yes dad, happy Christmas."

She pulled up a bar stool by the kitchen island where they usually had breakfast unless Caroline joined them, and got started on the hot croissants. For a while, neither of them spoke. Hermione liked the silence with her dad, it felt comforting as a contrast to her mother's incessant talking.

Finally her dad spoke up, having finished his croissant and an egg. "You know she loves you?"

"Dad …"

"As do I of course. You know, when you become a parent yourself you might understand. We just want you to be safe and happy, Hermione. We want to be able to protect you, and now we find out that you have been in danger all through your school years without telling us."

She really, really didn't want to be talking about this. Not now, not ever. "Dad, I'm sorry, really. I couldn't bear to tell you, what if you had forced me to leave school?"

"Yes, Hermione. Let's leave it for now, it's Christmas after all. Look, there seems to be some owls for you, best you get them in before the neighbours see them."

She looked over at the kitchen window and indeed there was a flutter of wings there already, and the kitchen filled with soft hoots as they flew in to deposit several packages on the kitchen table, although Pigwidgeon, now belonging to Ginny, seemed to aim for the Christmas tree and managed to knock down two candles on the table. Hedwig was also there with a parcel. Hermione felt her heart constrict upon seeing Harry's snowy white owl, but was glad to see her at the same time. She thanked every one of them and fed them some Italian salami before they flew off.

Caroline entered, immaculately dressed as usual, and they all settled down with more tea or coffee in the living room. Hermione started on the gifts that had arrived with the owls and was glad to see so many from the Weasleys. Ginny had sent her a charmed diary and some nice quills with neverending ink, Bill and Fleur a book on Egyptian wards, and the twins had sent her assorted WWW goods including a mood sensor. She was surprised to see a package from Lavender Brown there too, which turned out to be homemade haircare products, and Draco had sent her a nice pair of gloves and a scarf that would magically match whatever outfit she wore. She was reluctant to open the parcel from Harry, but finally did so to discover a 15th century edition of _Hogwarts, A History_ and a note where he wrote that he wanted to apologise and talk to her in person but that he clearly understood what he had done wrong and how he understood if she never wanted to see him again. It was a good note, all in all, but she didn't think she would want to meet with him yet, especially not alone.

"Happy Christmas, dear," her mother said and gave her a hug when they started in on family gifts. Hermione got some new books, a gift card for a large department store, some investments including shares in some computer companies her dad liked, and some heirloom pearl earrings. In turn, she had gifted her father a bottle of Ogden's, her mother got a custom magical perfume, and both of them a few Wizarding photos of her among her friends and in various Hogwarts situations. She had made sure that everything would appear completely normal if anyone but her parents viewed the items with some careful Charms work.

"So you're taking some of the exams early?" her father inquired once they had cleared up the wrapping paper. She had mentioned it in letters home to explain why she would stay at Hogwarts for most of the holidays.

She nodded and tucked her legs underneath her on the couch. "Yes, I feel I can pass them already and free up some time for other more advanced projects this spring."

"What are you planning to do?" Caroline asked.

"I'm going to help with a Potions research project for Professor Snape. He's trying to cure a type of mental illness with a new potion." Well, it wasn't untrue, exactly.

"Snape, wasn't he the one who was so unfair to you and took points from you Grimdoors all the time?"

Hermione sighed. "Mum, it's Gryffindor."

"Why Potions? I thought you preferred Charms or what's it called, Transfiguration?" her father asked.

Hermione frowned and tried to figure out a good way to explain it to them when she hardly dared to admit her true reasons even to herself. "Well, Potions feels like an area with more potential for research, and it's more scientific in a way as it's almost a bit like Chemistry or Medicine. There's a lot that can be done and it's considered more difficult than Charms even if that isn't always true. Transfiguration is fun but I don't see the point with having a Mastery in it."

"But you would for Potions?" Richard asked.

"Yes, there's a job market for that sort of skill. I'm going to start an Apprenticeship in Potions after the Christmas break, and later Arithmancy too once I pass the exam. Arithmancy is like magical math if you remember? Predictions, matrix multiplication and so on."

There, it was said.

"An Apprenticeship? What's that like in your world? Are there no universities?" Caroline asked with a frown. Hermione knew that frown, it was one that held promises of future wrath if not managed carefully.

"I'm studying directly under two Masters in this case and at the end of it I will be able to claim the titles Master of Potions and Master of Arithmancy. There aren't any magical universities, there are too few witches and wizards for that to be feasible. A Mastery is an intensive education that matches an MSc or similar degree."

Richard leaned forward again. "Who are you going to apprentice to?"

"Professor Snape in Potions and Professor Vector in Arithmancy."

"Are you staying at the school then? Don't you want to move out and see a bit more of the world?" Her father still looked wary.

"He's leaving the school after the end of this school year and I'll probably move in with him, Masters are supposed to provide their Apprentices with room and board. Professor Vector will visit regularly or I'll see her at Hogwarts."

"Move in with?!" her mother interjected. "Are you going to be living with your teacher, Hermione?"

"Mum! He has recently inherited a huge manor house, there must be at least a dozen bedrooms in there. I probably don't have to run into him outside of the labs at all."

She suddenly recalled the last Christmas gift she had yet to open, the one from a certain Potions Master which she hadn't brought down with the others. Under the guise of wanting to put away her things, she snuck back up to her room and opened the finely wrapped gift. She gasped as she opened the box to reveal an elaborate silver chain and pendant with an intricate triangular Celtic knot, inscribed with runes that seemed to flow along the silver band. It felt almost warm in her hand, and a sense of peace and protection washed over her when she carefully put it on, hiding it in her blouse.

Soon enough her grandmother arrived in a flurry of cheek kisses, and shortly afterwards her aunt Helen with her husband John. The rest of the day passed in a haze of conversation, food, more food, champagne, wine, and pastries. Her aunt was a rather no-nonsense lady working with a large charity organisation, and her husband was a corporate lawyer with a quick wit.

"Now, 'Errmionne chérie, tell me, is there a young man out there that has struck your fancy yet?" her Mamie asked, too nosey as usual, while they finished the main courses of the Christmas dinner. She was a tiny old lady, skinny and bent but still fierce in that way some matriarchs got as they grew older, with the absolute certainty that no one would question their authority over her family.

"Non, Mamie," Hermione said, blushing fiercely and trying hard to not think of a certain dark-haired Potions master with that heated dark gaze turned on her.

"Non? I thought you were together with a boy in your class? What was his name? Raynauld?"

"Ron, and no we were not together."

"Pity. Maybe you need someone older, hmm? You know there were fifteen years between your Papie and myself? I much preferred someone with a bit more experience and maturity over the boys in town."

Adeline had met George, Hermione's English grandfather, some time during the war. He had been some kind of English army officer and she had been a young French village girl who ran off to England with him once the war had ended.

"Mamie!" Hermione protested, blushing even deeper.

Unfortunately her mother had paid attention to what had been said, and not said. "Older, hmm? Like your Professeur Snake?"

"It's Professor Snape, Mum!"

"Aha!" Grandma Adeline said with a grin. "Is he tall, dark and handsome? How old is he?"

"Hermione, I don't think it sounds like a good idea for you to apprentice with this man," her mother said with a frown.

Hermione put her cutlery down, having lost her appetite completely. "Mum, I will go ahead with it. I'm of age, it has nothing to do with you, and it's what I want to do. All I want is to know that I have your support, and Dad's."

"You should go to a normal university, dear, and go off to find a nice young man to settle down with."

"Mum, please drop it!"

"No dear, I can't let you go on like that to ruin your life! I won't allow you do this apprenticeship!"

Hermione rose from the table, apologised to Helen and John and quietly left the room. It was short work to pack her things again, a few flicks of her wand had everything shrunk and sorted in her bag. She pulled out a few more tops and jeans from her wardrobe as well since she didn't have to dress in uniform during the break.

Her father entered the room shortly and she flung herself into his arms.

"I see you're leaving already. I'm sorry, Hermione, she means well but doesn't want you to grow up. I too find it hard to accept that you're an adult now, but I'm trying."

"It's my life Dad, not hers." She was near tears again, damn it.

"I know darling, we don't want you to be hurt. Are you certain you want to do this apprenticeship and that it's the best option for you?"

She nodded against his chest. "Yes, he's the best in the country, maybe the best in Europe. And I get to combine it with Arithmancy. I want to do this, Dad."

"And you're sure he will treat you right? Even if you do happen to have a crush on him?"

She blushed again. "Yes, I trust him. He won't hurt me."

"You know I just want to protect you from harm. You'll always be my little girl, it's hard to cope with this change but of course every parent's goal is for their kids to be successful and happy. Do you think you could arrange a meeting with us and your Professors? I'd like to know more about this Apprenticeship but if it's what you want then I'll support you."

Hermione nodded again. "I'll ask them, that should be doable."

"You're still leaving?"

She nodded and shouldered the bag.

"Tell me what you need from me and I'll support you," her father said quietly. "And please promise me that no matter when, no matter what, you will let me know if you need help with anything."

"Thanks, Dad, I promise, and I'll make sure you can meet with Professor Vector and Professor Snape," she said and hugged him again before going down the stairs.

~x~x~x~

She said her goodbyes to the others and left her parents' home, her feelings of being suffocated by misguided well-wishes finally lifting once she closed the front door, only to be replaced by a sense of loss and confusion. _Where now?_ The Burrow was not an option, neither was Grimmauld Place, and she didn't really want to try to look for a hotel. That only left Hogwarts, but the gates would be locked. She summoned her otter Patronus and sent it off with a message before Apparating to the castle. The large gates were barely visible in the gloom from the lanterns.

After a short while she could make out a tall man in swirling black robes walking down the gravel path towards the gates, barely visible in the gloomy darkness. His features were schooled in their customary blank frown, but his eyes softened as he came closer.

"Happy Christmas," she told him.

He inclined his head in greeting. "And to you, I didn't expect you back this soon."

"No."

They made it back in silence to the Castle where the Christmas dinner was still going strong. Avoiding the Great Hall, they snuck down to Severus' quarters instead. He asked the elves for some hot cocoa, for her, and an Irish coffee for himself, and they settled down in the armchairs by the fire again. The dungeons felt more like home than her parents' house had, she mused, sighing contentedly into her warm mug and finally relaxing.

"Better?" he asked, eyebrow raised over his own mug. He looked relaxed in a white shirt, a midnight blue v-neck sweater and black slacks.

"Much. Thanks for saving me. I was thrown out of the Burrow by Molly who called me a slut for not sleeping with her Ickle Ronniekins, and then I was chased away from home by my grandmother and mum who seem to think you plan on chaining me up naked in the dungeons, never to let me out again."

The corner of his mouth twitched. She was apparently a little more intoxicated than she thought after the champagne and wine and more champagne that accompanied the Grangers' Christmas meal. That was not at all what she had wanted to say and now she had very vivid images dancing in her mind that weren't altogether atrocious.

"I see," was all he said, however.

"How was your Christmas?" she asked him.

He raised his hand and shook his sleeve off his wrist, showing the black leather armband she had given him. Silver thread was woven into an intricate Celtic pattern on it, with runes for protection and comfort embedded. It would protect against cauldron accidents, hexes and ill wishes, and against hot and humid temperatures when brewing.

"The best yet. Thank you."

She blushed and loosened the collar of her blouse, showing the necklace.

"And thank you, this is beautiful."


	15. Sweetness Follows

**Sweetness Follows**

Severus meant it when he had said that it was the best Christmas he had ever experienced. Although he did miss Albus, he didn't miss the barmy old coot's thinly veiled barbs, poking fun at him for his need for solitude over fake enforced cheeriness during the mandatory feasts. He much preferred Minerva's more subtle approach with a bottle of whisky instead of garish socks, and although she was still as nosey as any cat at least she wasn't being smugly superior about it. Minerva's concern was much more like that of a vaguely concerned aunt's, rather than Albus' way of flaunting his ownership of Severus.

They spent the rest of the evening reading a few Muggle novels that Hermione had brought, and bickering over pralines from the box of chocolates he had received from Septima and Aurora. All in all, it was a perfect evening.

She reluctantly agreed that she shouldn't spend the night with him this close to the exam, and right before she left for her own room he thought of something.

"A moment please," he said and called for Winky.

"Winky is pleased to helps Master of Potions," the elf declared and hiccuped.

"Winky, is it your wish to bond with me? Do you want me to be your new Master?"

Instantly, the elf had sobered up and stared at him with eyes even larger than usual. "Yes, Master of Potions! Oh, it is such an honour, Master! Please, Winky calls the Matron!"

As if she had been listening in, which he didn't hold for impossible, an ancient-looking elf clad in an elaborately brocaded Hogwarts pillowcase popped into the room. She carried herself with more dignity than Albus had, not that that was too difficult.

"I is Mimsy, Matron of the Hogwarts elf clan," the elf declared solemnly. She made it sound as if she had declared herself sovereign ruler of the kingdom. For all he knew, perhaps it was equivalent.

"Pleased to meet you, Mimsy. I am Severus Snape."

The old elf nodded. "I knows. So the Snape wishes to bonds with Winky?"

"Yes," he simply said.

"Does the Snape knows the ritual?"

He nodded and Summoned a small bronze knife which he handed to Mimsy who took the knife and his right hand, palm up, and swiftly made a cut on the pad of his thumb. Winky shakily raised her right hand to clasp his, making sure to get his blood on her hand. Mimsy placed one bony hand on Winky's head and the other on top of their clasped hands before invoking some kind of House-elf magic that caused his skin to break out in goosebumps. The elves released their grasp and Winky brought her bloodied hand to her mouth, licking off his blood to seal the bond. House-elf magic was old and messy, from a time before wands, the thin veneer of civilisation and posh books.

"It is done. Winky of House Prince-Snape will now also belong to the Hogwarts clan." Mimsy flapped her ears at them and bowed briskly before Disapparating.

Hermione looked at him somewhat disbelievingly but accepted his explanation, after all it was she who had told him earlier of Winky's wish to bond with him.

Some time after Hermione had left, the Floo flared to life and once he had accepted the connection, Minerva's head appeared.

"Severus? Happy Christmas. I just wanted to ask if you have seen Miss Granger, I felt her arrival earlier in the school wards?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, she should be in her dorm. I accompanied her from the gates earlier."

"Ah, I see. It's just that Mr Potter is here too together with Alastor and I don't want her to be caught unawares."

"Then I suggest you tell her, and soon, before he stalks her again. Keep him away from her or I will ensure that he stays away. You know she has three NEWTs next week."

"I didn't know you cared about Gryffindors, Severus?"

Severus glared at her until she begged off with a promise that she would seek out Miss Granger and ensure that Potter would stay away from her.

~x~x~x~

The highlight of next morning's breakfast was Minerva asking Hermione what she was planning on doing after she passed all her NEWTs. Luckily, the Potter brat was nowhere to be seen. The few students still in the Castle sat with the remaining staff at a round table where the Head Table usually stood.

Hermione darted a glance at Severus before looking at her former Head of House. "Oh, I thought you knew already, Headmistress? I've been offered an Apprenticeship with Professor Snape and Professor Vector. I'll start the Potions part after Christmas once I pass the NEWT."

Minerva looked completely gobsmacked, to Severus' delight, and turned a stern glare his way once she had picked her jaw off the table. "Severus, why didn't you say something?"

"Whyever should I? It was far more entertaining this way." He smirked at her and studiously prepared another cup of tea.

Minerva collected herself and shot a wobbly smile at Hermione. "Congratulations, dear, a dual Apprenticeship is no mean feat but you have the capacity for it, I'm sure."

~x~x~x~

The rest of the holidays passed quietly. Draco arrived from the Manor around lunchtime on Boxing Day and brought a message from Lucius about the trial which was apparently set for a few days after the new year. Hermione hid in her quarters or the Library for the most part but snuck down to his quarters a few times too once she realised that Potter was in residence. Monday morning had him trek up to the Headmistress' office again, the seventh-years would be taking DADA and although Lupin would supervise he had decided to follow them once he had heard that Potter would be taking the NEWT as well. Hermione stayed close to his side when they arrived at the Ministry while Lupin actually did keep Potter close to his side and away from her. There were more students taking DADA than the other subjects, and even Longbottom was present, having a civil discussion with Draco to Severus' surprise.

"Do your best, I have full faith in you," he told her quietly just before she entered the testing hall.

He spent a few hours catching up with Lucius' solicitor and checking the status of a few of his Potions patents before returning to the testing hall as the written part of the exam was finished. Lupin suggested that they split the group for lunch and so he took about half of them, including Hermione, Mr Zabini and Draco, to the Leaky Cauldron.

The practical test was set up like an obstacle course. Once the first few students were underway and Severus was certain that Potter wouldn't bother Hermione, he walked over to where the Ministry clerk had indicated that they could watch. The Ministry had four lanes in parallel with students given 30 minutes to make it through, and the ceiling was see-through so that the supervisors could check the students from above. The challenges would get harder and harder along the way and they would essentially be graded on how far they made it. Severus rather thought that the Ministry were in for a surprise with this batch, these students had seen more than most Aurors and several of them had first-hand experience with real fighting.

His own Slytherins, Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis, Theo Nott and Draco Malfoy were first out. Mr Zabini lasted ten minutes before he was overpowered by a strong combination of hexes that powered through his wards. Miss Davis made it a little further before she sank in a swamp at about the same time Mr Nott was caught by a ghoul. Draco made it nearly all the way through but ran out of time before he could face the final obstacle. Hermione was included in the next batch of students together with Mr Longbottom and two Ravenclaws.

Hermione immediately cast a shield spell and a convoluted multiplication charm, creating several copies of herself, before casting a Disillusionment charm. Mr Longbottom and the Ravenclaws preferred the heads-first approach. Anthony Goldstein had a fierce battle with a combat dummy while Mr Longbottom actually managed to blast it aside with a powerful shield and Reducto combination. The other Ravenclaw, Lisa Turpin, managed to dodge a few of its spells while Hermione snuck past hers as it battled one of her copies. She noticed the wards that lay over the next section and took time to disarm them while Miss Turpin missed a few of them, narrowly escaping a nasty hex that whizzed past over her head. Mr Longbottom was actually catching up but Mr Goldstein seemed to have become stuck and disarmed by the wards. Three Aurors were waiting just around the corner, and Hermione redid her body double spell before Disillusioning herself again. The first Auror blasted her double to pieces while Hermione snuck past him and sent a Stunner at the Auror before diving out of the way for the counterattacks. Once she had seen where the other two Aurors were, she turned the room black and circled behind the second Auror before lighting her wand tip which caused the final Auror to send a Stunner towards them both, knocking his colleague out cold. Hermione sprinted past them, shielded her eyes as she cast a very strong Solaris charm that lit up the whole space, and Petrified the final Auror while he was blinded.

Only the final hurdle remained. Severus cursed as he felt the room go cold and dreary even from his vantage point above the obstacle course. A Dementor. Hermione was frozen in her tracks as it glided out towards her. _Come on, I know you can do it,_ he whispered to her although he knew she couldn't hear him.

"Expecto … Expecto Patronum!" Hermione whispered, but only a puff of white smoke shot forth from her wand. The Dementor stopped for a moment but continued towards her. She tried again as she backed up towards the obstacle course, with the same result. Then he saw her lift her hand to the necklace he had given her and close her eyes for a moment before she drew herself up in front of the hideous creature and raised her wand.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ _"_ she yelled and finally her otter burst forth and chased the Dementor off in a display of utter otterness.

Longbottom made it all the way, to Severus' surprise, and managed to chase the Dementor off with a non-corporeal Patronus. It looked to be very close to obtaining a shape, however, and Severus thought he could make out a large herbivore muzzle and a large body in the swirling mist, maybe an elk? He gathered up all the students that were through so that they could watch Potter's attempt as the final student.

The brat was fast and had good reflexes, Severus grudgingly admitted. He made it through the first few obstacles with a combination of brute force and luck, dispatched the combat dummy in record time and leapt over most of the wards on the floor, nearly hit by a nasty slicing hex. He quickly overcame the first Auror, punched the second in the jaw and duelled with the final one before getting lucky with a Jelly-Legs Jinx followed by a Stunner. When the final Dementor appeared he snarled at it before screaming " _Expecto Patronum!_ _"_ and his stag quickly disposed of the vile creature. He was done in ten minutes sharp, surely a record time.

Lupin ensured that Potter was safely out of the way together with the rest of the group before Severus escorted Hermione to the Floos again, and yet again she asked if they could walk from Hogsmeade. This time he complied and Apparated the two of them to the outskirts of the village.

"Well done," he told her as they walked along the path towards the castle.

"I have never met a real Dementor before," she said. "It was hard. I thought of when you offered me the Apprenticeship."

"Not many witches or wizards can produce a true Patronus, as you know."

"But you can? Would you show me yours?" She had stopped and looked directly at him.

He hesitated a bit, it had been a long time since he had cast it, holding on to a few tattered memories of the Hogwarts letter and of Lily's friendship. He had other memories now, happier ones, and as he closed his eyes memories of Hermione started coming to him. Waking up next to her. Her face flush with ecstasy in his bed. Reading books in her company, and even correcting essays together with her. _"Expecto Patronum!"_

The bright light shot forth, sharp against the dim greyness of Scottish December, but as he opened his eyes he wasn't met with the doe he had expected. Instead, a sleek fox was nuzzling Hermione's hand. She smiled at it before she too summoned her otter again, and the two animals started playing with each other.

"Not what you expected?" she asked him as the otter winked out.

"No … it used to be a doe," he murmured.

"The fox suits you better than a doe," she said and took his arm again as they continued their walk to the castle. He nodded but felt a twang of longing for Lily and the manifestation of her that the doe had represented, or did he just miss the feeling of infatuation?

The following day, the students took their Astronomy NEWT under supervision of Aurora. Septima joined them too for a chance to get out of the castle a little while. Severus spent the day in the labs brewing for the hospital wing and trying to work out the calculations for Narcissa's potion.

~x~x~x~

It was New Year's Eve and yet again he was accompanying students to the Ministry testing hall, although this time it was only Hermione and Draco. Severus had donned his formal Master's robes, causing Draco to whistle appreciatively and Hermione to look at him with a heated, calculating gaze. The robes were black, naturally, and not dissimilar to his usual frock coat, but in a shiny silk and with only three buttons. Silvery Potions-related runes swirled lazily over the fabric, and a green cravat over a white shirt completed the picture. He hadn't bothered with his Master's insignia.

Once again they headed off through the corridors and elevators to the testing hall. He nodded to the two examiners, well known elder colleagues from the Potions guild, and turned to face his two students. Hermione was biting her lower lip again and Draco tried to appear unruffled but Severus saw that he was nervous.

"So, your last test. I have full faith in both of you. Do your best. Good luck."

Although he found most of the Potions guild members to be odious, stuffy, stuck in their ways and just plain stupid, a few of the members were actually worth talking to occasionally. One of them, Hermes Farnsworth, a wizard of Greek origins who was perhaps fifteen years Severus' senior, was there to supervise his own potential apprentice who had transferred from Beauxbatons but skipped Hogwarts for homeschooling. They slipped into a discussion about research avenues, the latest articles in Potions Monthly and Severus' plans for the future. The more he talked about it with others and the more he planned, the more realised that he was looking forward to leaving Hogwarts and starting a new chapter in life.

Hermes and his prospective apprentice Maurice Fowler joined them for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Severus found the young man to be reasonably intelligent and with some good ideas for research, but he also noticed the way Hermione grew more and more quiet and the way Mr Fowler tensed as soon as Hermes touched his shoulder, arm or hand.

The practical part was set up in a large room where the students had separate brewing stations, hidden from view of each other by screens. They each had to brew four potions but they didn't all have the same four, and they had to decide on the timing and order of the brewing as well as recall the recipes and ingredients from memory. Severus was allowed to watch their progress from a safe distance and was pleased to see both of them carefully double-checking ingredients as some of them were intentionally mislabelled, and starting to prepare their cauldrons. Both of his students managed to finish well in advance of the others, and Severus was pleased to see that their potions looked perfect. When they left the testing hall, Hermes said goodbye and went off with Mr Fowler to sign the Apprenticeship contract. The boy looked a bit too dejected for someone who was about to be given the chance of a lifetime.

"He was a bit of a creep," Hermione said as they walked back to the atrium.

"Who? Hermes?" Severus asked. Hermione nodded in reply.

"Maurice didn't look too happy about becoming his apprentice," Draco remarked.

"The system does need revision," Severus agreed.

Draco smirked. "Still sure you want to apprentice under Uncle Severus, Hermione?"

Hermione blushed and glared at Draco. "It's not right, anyway. Apprentices shouldn't expect to end up in sexual slavery just because they're apprentices. Can't the Ministry do something? Or the Potions guild?"

He raised an eyebrow at her intolerance of systematic injustice no matter where it was found. "You would need to mobilise more of the apprentices and perhaps also former apprentices in order to make a lasting change. I shall think about what can be done but please refrain from overly Gryffindor behaviour for now, you won't get anywhere by barging in without a plan and a backup plan."

They decided to stay in for the new year and spent the evening in Severus' quarters. Draco joined them for a bit before he got word that Ginny and the twins had managed to break out of the Burrow and were heading into London. Severus and Hermione declined his offer to join them, and shared a half bottle of champagne to go with their books and chocolate pralines instead. It felt both odd and comforting to be alone with her again, he longed to take her to bed again but at the same time it was peaceful and relaxing to simply spend time in her company. He was still unsure of what he actually wanted from her, or what she thought of the whole thing, but until the apprenticeship contract was sorted out and her NEWT results were in he didn't want to push. They shared a kiss at midnight but Hermione went back to her dorm to sleep.

~x~x~x~

The following Monday was the first day of Lucius' trial. Severus donned his formal Potions Master robes again, this time with the Master's insignia, and met up with Draco in the entrance hall. To his surprise, Hermione was also there, dressed in modest dark blue dress robes underneath her school cloak.

"I was asked by the solicitor whether I would be willing to testify," she explained when seeing his raised eyebrow.

Once again they made the trek to the Ministry, this time to the lowest level and the courtrooms. The trial was held in the largest of the courtrooms, Courtroom Eight, and as they took their seats along the benches where potential witnesses were seated they saw that the rest of the room was filling up completely. The room was a slightly elongated octagonal in black and white marble, with raised wooden benches for the audience along the two longer sides, a chair for the accused in the centre of the room with a table and chair for the solicitor to the right, and the Wizengamot seated in several tiers along the short wall facing the accused's chair, with the chairman's seat right at the centre of the row. Potential witnesses were seated along the lowest row on both sides, and the prosecutor, this time a member of the Magical Law Enforcement branch of the Ministry, was seated opposite the accused's solicitor. The witness stand was in between the Wizengamot stands and the accused's chair, angled slightly towards the Wizengamot.

The Wizengamot filed in and Lucius walked in with his solicitor Nicoletta Warbeck as soon as they were seated. He looked calm and relaxed although Severus could see that he was tense, clad in impeccable robes in somewhat subdued colours of grey and light blue. He wasn't shackled but he still wore the magic-suppression bracelet and no access to his wand. His solicitor was a sharp-looking witch in pristine dark grey robes, straight dark brown hair with one lock of pale grey by her left temple.

The trial started once all the formalities had been sorted out. Madam Warbeck requested that the trial would only deal with events happening after Lucius' incarceration in Azkaban following the Department of Mysteries debacle a year and a half ago, which was approved by the court. A smart move, in Severus' opinion. The prosecutor didn't look too happy but managed to pull up a somewhat impressive list of war crimes with the testimonies of several Death Eaters. Severus was familiar with most of the events listed and knew that Lucius had not actually been present at most of them, and that he hadn't been an active participant in many of the others. Apparently Madam Warbeck knew that as well and managed to dismiss half of them outright and get several of the others downgraded.

Draco was called to the stand and gave his account of the events of last year. His statement was neutral rather than accusatory and he included the story of his signet ring that Severus had shown to the Dark Lord, and how he had forgotten at the time that it would have changed colour if taken by force but that his father didn't betray them.

Severus thought he would be called next but instead Hermione was asked to take the stand. They asked her questions about the raid on Malfoy Manor, how they had planned for it and how it was carried out. Since she wasn't supposed to speculate on others' motives, she referred quite a few questions back to others such as Kingsley, Severus or Lucius. He could see that it was hard on her when the prosecutor started asking about the raid and why three schoolkids were trying to do things they should let adults handle.

"Where were you, then?" she snapped, eyes blazing angrily. "There was no one else volunteering to do it. You, the Ministry and all of you that should know better, let us down. As for Mr Malfoy, although he has been quite the bastard towards Muggleborn and others earlier, he showed through his actions that he was willing to do what was needed to bring that evil despot down. We did our best to end this without a massive battle here or at Hogwarts, and my best friend died for it. Where were you then?"

"What exactly did Mr Malfoy do during the raid?" the prosecutor asked, not rising to the bait, as the murmur in the hall died down.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath before answering, her voice flat. "He let us in and showed us safe routes through the Manor. We split up and Harry, Ron and I got caught by Bellatrix Lestrange. She bound them and tortured me with Cruciatus when Mr Malfoy appeared together with Professor Snape and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Mr Malfoy made her stop and then he killed her with a knife."

"Why do you think Mr Malfoy killed Bellatrix? His sister-in-law?"

"You'd better ask him, don't you think? I'm not supposed to speculate," she said and turned to look at Lucius directly. "But I can say that I'm glad that he did, she was evil and dangerous and I feel safer knowing that she isn't around anymore to kill or torture others."

Lucius inclined his head slightly towards Hermione in recognition.

They let her go after some more questions including events in the throne room where Hermione described Albus' appearance and the way he had cleansed Draco, Severus and Lucius from the Dark Mark.

After a short break for tea it was Severus' turn. The prosecutor questioned him about his own involvement among the Death Eaters and he had to resort to quietly counting to ten in Greek, badly, in order to not lose his temper. He talked about the planning and how Lucius had assisted with it, the Dark Lord's appropriation of Malfoy Manor, Narcissa's condition and the raid. The prosecutor asked about the Lestrange brothers and Severus had to admit that Lucius killed Rabastan.

"And you killed Rodolphus?" the prosecutor asked.

"No, Kingsley did, and it was with his approval as an Auror that we went ahead. They were too dangerous to leave behind." Severus was rather grateful for the fact that the Auror had done it.

"Oh." The prosecutor sounded disappointed, undoubtedly wishing to frame Severus for killing in cold blood.

Kingsley went up to give his statements after Severus, basically confirming everything Severus had said. The court called for a lunch break, and Hermione, Draco and Severus were joined by Kingsley and Remus Lupin. They went to a small pub off Diagon Alley for a quick meal. Severus hadn't met Kingsley since the Malfoy Manor raid and was interested to hear how the reformation of the Ministry was going. Apparently there had been some resistance and they were trying to find a way to deal with one Dolores Umbridge in particular, Hermione suggested to let the Centaurs handle her which had Severus smirking before he explained to Kingsley exactly what that meant.

When they returned to the courtroom, this time to seats a little higher up since they didn't expect to be called down to the floor again, Severus was surprised to see Minerva and Moody seated in the witness row with someone between them wearing a hooded cloak that covered their face. He had some suspicion about who it could be but no idea why he was there. Apparently Hermione thought the same as he felt her tensing next to him.

"The Court calls Harry Potter," the chairman said and the murmur in the room rose to a cacophony as the young man between Minerva and Moody rose and threw off his cloak. Lucius looked as surprised as the rest of them, Severus noted, as he looked around the room while Potter took the witness stand. After some formal identification details, Potter was asked to speak.

"I didn't come here as a witness due to my undying love for Lucius Malfoy," he began and most of the room giggled. "As many know, Mr Malfoy has been my enemy ever since I first saw him in Diagon Alley when I was eleven. Since he has already been tried for what he did in the past I won't mention it, but both of us know what I'm talking about."

Potter turned to Lucius who looked back at him impassively.

"That said, ever since his son Draco Malfoy reneged on his task to kill Albus Dumbledore and joined us in actively trying to take Voldemort down, I have also had reason to adjust my view of Mr Malfoy and the way he and Mrs Malfoy were caught between a rock and a hard place with Voldemort trapping them at the Manor." The audience hissed when he said the Dark Lord's name, and there was some confusion over his choice of metaphor. Potter waited for the murmurs to die down before continuing.

"When we planned the infiltration, Professor Snape told us that he would try to work with Mr Malfoy to find a way in to the Manor. I was reluctant at first due to our history but it soon became clear that Mr Malfoy didn't betray us, and when we did the raid his help was invaluable and more extensive than I had expected. He saved us from Bellatrix and helped take down the other Death Eaters as we confronted Voldemort, and Dumbledore cleansed him from the Dark Mark." Potter took a deep breath again before continuing.

"I never wanted to be a hero or to be seen as the Saviour of the Wizarding world or any of that nonsense. I had no idea about any of this when I first became aware of magic when I got the Hogwarts letter. But since everyone else including Dumbledore and Voldemort himself thought it was all up to me, I had to play the role and confront Voldemort and finally kill him. Tom Riddle. I couldn't have done this without my friends, and although I lost my best friend as well as my mentor that day I can say that if it weren't for Lucius Malfoy, this war would still be ongoing and many more lives would have been lost. I do sincerely believe that people can change their views, that we can move away from evil and make better choices for ourselves. So, Mr Malfoy, for that you do have my gratitude and my respect, as long as you stay away from the next evil wizard that tries to take over the world."

Lucius bowed his head to Potter who nodded solemnly in return. The room erupted with noise again and Potter quietly took his seat again. Severus checked how Hermione was doing and surreptitiously caught her hand, squeezing it in reassurance. She shot him a brief smile and took a shaky breath.

After that display, Severus suspected that the matter was more or less closed. The final questioning was of Lucius himself but the prosecutor didn't manage to find anything new to pin on him. The court adjourned for deliberations for a while which gave the audience a chance at tea and gossiping. Severus dragged Hermione and Draco to a secluded corner of the Ministry café and set them up with tea and a Notice-Me-Not charm. Hermione was unusually pale and silent but assured them that she was alright when Draco asked.

In the end, it was a done deal once Potter testified. The court declared that Lucius was acquitted from all charges after the Department of Mysteries, but since he had after all broken out of prison he would be on probation until the anniversary of the raid, roughly half a year away, and he would have to pay hefty fines to the Ministry. He would be given his wand back but have to wear a bracelet that tracked all spells he cast, and he would not be allowed to leave the country until the probation was lifted.

Severus nodded to Lucius but the clamour of the crowd became too much for all of them, and they quietly slipped away back to Hogwarts.


	16. All I Have To Give

**All I Have To Give**

A few days after Lucius Malfoy's trial, Hermione had breakfast together with Draco and with Ginny who had joined them at Hogwarts a few days before the start of term, eager to escape from the Burrow. Over the holidays the Headmistress had done away with the House tables in the Great Hall and instead scattered several smaller round tables near the Head table, so that students could mingle across House lines.

"Thanks for the Christmas presents, Hermione," Ginny was saying. "Mum broke down completely when she opened the gift you had left for Ron. Oh, by the way, did you set up Lavender to meet with Fred and George? I think they are up to something, they've been meeting her several times over the holidays."

"I might have mentioned something," Hermione said cautiously. "Are you alright with it?"

Ginny nodded and smiled at her fleetingly over her toast. "Yes, she approached me to talk about it and it makes sense now. It really was Harry's fault. Git."

Suddenly several Ministry owls came flying in to the Great Hall on silent wings along with the Daily Prophet delivery owls. Ginny gasped as two owls beelined for Hermione and Draco and dropped their respective missives by their plates, narrowly missing Hermione's teacup.

"Is this … oh, Draco, it's the NEWT results! Oh god I don't want to open it, what if I failed?!"

Draco had opened his sealed scroll and was barely listening as he scanned his missive. "I got an E in Herbology but O in Defence and Potions," he said, looking pleased.

Ginny was having none of Hermione's antics and snatched the scroll from her. "I'll check for you, Hermione. Astronomy - O, Defence against the Dark Arts - O, Herbology - O …" she began and trailed off.

"What about the rest? Did I fail Potions and History of Magic? Ginny! Oh no, I won't be able to become an Apprentice in Potions!"

Draco rolled his eyes at her and stole the scroll from Ginny. "Calm down, Miss Perfect, you have O's in History of Magic and Potions too of course."

Hermione snatched the scroll back from them to confirm what they had said before finally deflating. "Thanks, I hate getting exam results. It's worse than the exams!"

Ginny and Draco both burst out in laughter at that statement.

The Headmistress approached their table, flanked by Severus who looked as inscrutably unreadable as ever.

"Was that the NEWT results, Miss Granger?"

Ginny answered for her. "She got full marks of course, Headmistress."

Hermione handed Professor McGonagall the scroll. The Headmistress looked pleased as she finished reading and handed the scroll to Severus.

"I see you did us proud, as we thought. Well done, Miss Granger."

"Indeed," came Severus' deep voice. "Are you still interested in going ahead with the apprenticeship?" His dark eyes bore holes through her head but he seemed tense with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Yes, of course, sir! If the offer still stands, that is?"

A minute relaxation of his posture and a slight softening of his stern gaze told her that he was relieved to hear it. "Very well, I shall make arrangements. I think we can do the ceremony tomorrow at the Ministry, if that is agreeable with you?" Again the eyebrow.

"That is fine, thank you again sir."

A brief and tiny smile showed for an instant before he schooled his face into indifference again and faced Draco. "What about you, Mr Malfoy? Did you make Slytherin proud?"

"I hope so, sir." Draco handed his scroll to Severus who nodded and showed Professor McGonagall the results.

"Very good, you may remain my godson for the time being."

Draco laughed while the Headmistress tutted disapprovingly at Severus who smirked at all three of them and turned on his heel with a flourish before stalking away, robes billowing.

~x~x~x~

The following day, they were to meet up with Septima Vector in the Ministry atrium. Professor Vector was already there when they arrived from the Floos, deep in discussion with another witch. She was somewhat stern-looking, with close-cropped grey hair, dressed in cornflower blue robes with elaborate silvery patterns swirling constantly over the fabric. She looked oddly familiar although Hermione couldn't place her.

"Madam Bones," Severus said and bowed his head to her slightly in greeting.

"Severus," the witch responded with a nod at him before turning to face Hermione. _Bones? As in Amelia Bones? But she was killed well over a year ago?_ Hermione felt very confused.

"Welcome to the Ministry, Miss Granger. As you heard, I am Amelia Bones. I assume you have some questions, let's wait until we are in a better location."

"Pleased to meet you, Madam Bones," Hermione managed with a weak smile, forcing down all the millions of questions she indeed had.

They filed into one of the lifts which took off with a lurch. It stopped at nearly every floor, gradually emptying of Ministry workers and visitors, until they were alone. Finally the lift clanged to a stop and announced their destination, "Level Nine, Department of Mysteries". Hermione felt her stomach fluttering wildly upon entering the corridor again, remembering the last time she had been there with Harry and the others, chasing a prophecy. It had ended in horror and quite unnecessarily so, with herself severely wounded, Sirius Black gone and Voldemort seen by the rest of the Ministry. She half expected to hear the footsteps of Death Eaters behind her as they walked down the black-tiled corridor, Madam Bones and Professor Vector walking ahead of them.

"Breathe," Severus mumbled in her ear and pulled her close, an arm around her shoulder as they continued down the corridor.

She nodded and relaxed slightly, comforted by his presence. Surely with him close nothing bad could happen.

Madam Bones led them through the door at the end of the corridor, to the circular antechamber. Unlike the last time she had visited, the room didn't spin around them this time. Instead, she led them swiftly across the floor to one of the doors which opened to show a more normal-looking office corridor, with light grey marble floor, cherry wood half-panelled walls painted a warm grey on the upper half. There was a small seating area complete with a self-serving tea set to the left of the door they had just entered, and some wizarding portraits by the seating area and along the corridor. Hermione felt the warm prickly feeling of several wards washing over her, but apparently she was accepted since nothing bad happened.

They walked down the corridor to an intersection and followed a smaller corridor before Madam Bones opened a door that led into what turned out to be a huge but somehow intimate cavern. Black sparkling granite walls glittered in what seemed to be natural light coming from an opening at the top of the cavern. The air was cool and slightly humid, and some of the walls were covered in vines and moss. Water was trickling into a pool somewhere and a bird was quietly calling. The ground was lined with moss and some grass, and a gravel path led down to the centre of the cavern where there was a roughly circular small amphitheatre with benches made of light grey granite. Madam Bones led them down there, onto what should be the scene and turned to face them with a smile.

"Welcome to the Cavern," she simply said.

Professor Vector looked slightly amused and Severus seemed as impassive as always, although Hermione suspected that he was quite busy cataloguing everything they had seen so far. She was bursting with questions and bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from blurting out all her questions, determined to make a better impression than that of a babbling schoolgirl even if she couldn't help but to stare wide-eyed at everything. There was a calm stillness to the space which felt somehow comforting, as if the chamber would ensure that nothing could harm them there.

"This is the Cavern of Truth. In here, no lies can be told. Septima asked me to perform your Apprenticeship binding here, Miss Granger, if you are amenable to it?"

Hermione felt her heart lurch again. This was not what she had expected. "Really? Here? Now? But I don't know what to do, and I haven't passed Arithmancy yet?"

Professor Vector stepped closer to her. She had a twinkle in her eyes that seemed to rival Professor Dumbledore's. "Don't worry, you will do fine. Since it is a dual Apprenticeship we need to perform the ceremony for both parts at the same time, and we will word it so that the Arithmancy part becomes active once you pass the NEWT. You don't have to prepare very much, just think of whether you are ready to go ahead with this. The Apprenticeship contract is a binding oath although not quite as strict as an Unbreakable Vow, but you need to be certain that this is what you want to do as breaking it is rather painful and only done as a last resort."

At least that was something she could answer at once. Her mind and heart was racing again, _this is really happening, I_ _'m going to be an apprentice, Severus' apprentice, oh and Vector's too._

"In that case, I'm as ready as I can be." She was glad that her voice didn't betray her eagerness too much.

Amelia nodded briskly. "Perfect. Septima, will you help Miss Granger prepare?"

Professor Vector nodded and led Hermione away along a different path, passing a waterfall where what looked like a huge sphinx lay dozing in the rays of sunlight that filtered through the canopy.

"You'll get some answers soon. Yes that's a sphinx. She works for the Department. Don't cross her path unless you're good at riddles or she'll be compelled to eat you."

Hermione nodded, baffled, and tried to keep up. Soon they entered a tunnel where a door led to a more mundane-looking, albeit large and luxurious, room with a fireplace, a few comfortable-looking chairs and a side table. Another open door seemed to lead towards a bathroom. A house elf popped in as soon as they entered.

"I is Tabby, Miss," the elf squeaked and bowed low while flapping her ears.

"Um, hi Tabby," Hermione replied somewhat nervously.

Professor Vector asked the elf to bring them some refreshments and started explaining the ceremony, gesturing to Hermione to take a seat while they waited.

"Since you're Muggle born, I assume you don't know much about apprenticeship ceremonies?"

Hermione shook her head and tentatively accepted the goblet of something light and fizzy from the elf. She took a sip. It wasn't bad, almost like a cross between champagne and lemonade.

Professor Vector took a sip from her own glass. "You will take a quick shower and then dress in your Apprentice robes which I'll give you shortly. We'll then go back to the Cavern where Amelia will Bind us in a handfasting. You'll bond first with Severus since he will be your primary Master, and then you and I will bond. Don't worry by the way, it is not a marriage ceremony although there are some similarities."

Hermione had gone wide-eyed at hearing about the handfasting. She had visited Bill and Fleur's wedding, after all, but that was the extent of Wizarding ceremonies that she had seen.

"There will be vows you are expected to agree to, mainly following a standardised formula but some will be amended due to the fact that you are entering a dual Apprenticeships."

"What did you mean with primary Master?"

"Oh, if you and I decide to cancel the apprenticeship it won't affect your bond to Severus, but if the two of you decide to end it then our bond will also dissipate. Since you will be spending more time with him than with me, and due to the nature of Potions versus Arithmancy, plus taking certain other factors into account, it simply makes the most sense this way. By the way, there will be an upper time limit on the bond so he can't keep you shackled forever."

Professor Vector smirked at her and Hermione blushed fiercely, wondering how much the ever-perceptive Professor actually knew. She hid her face in her goblet which to her surprise was nearly empty.

"Good, now off you go to get ready. Here are your new formal Apprentice robes, they will change cut and colours after the ceremony into something that reflects you and us as your Masters. Remember you are to wear nothing but these robes, nothing underneath, nothing on your feet or in your hair."

Professor Vector handled her a bundle of shimmering white cloth and Hermione was ushered into the next room together with Tabby. It turned out to be a dressing room in mainly white marble, with several benches and hooks for clothes and towels.

The elf didn't waste any time but had her undressed with a snap of her elven fingers. Hermione squeaked and covered herself with her arms, but Tabby merely ushered her into the next room where a steaming bath awaited in a huge free-standing bronze tub. It seemed to be scented with rosemary, jasmine and neroli, which Tabby confirmed when she asked.

"Yes, Miss! Now dips your head!"

The elf was rather more bossy than she was used to, and she complied without further question. She was not allowed to soak for long in the marvellous tub, but the short bath nonetheless made her feel invigorated. Soon Tabby ushered her out of the bath, towelled her off and managed to somehow tame her unruly hair into soft ringlets before slipping the pearlescent white gown over her head. It was shapeless and too large at first, before the hem adjusted to fall to just above the floor as she stood barefoot in the room.

~x~x~x~

Professor Vector nodded as she returned to the first room and led her back out into the clearing where Severus and Madam Bones waited. As she approached, she saw that all of the others also had removed their footwear, and she would have laughed at the sight of their bare feet poking out under their formal-looking robes if she hadn't felt so underdressed.

Two wizards sat on the first bench just off the scene.

"That's Master Snooks from the Potions Guild, and Master Westmoreland from the Approximately Aggregated Arithmancy Association. They're here as witnesses," Septima supplied as they walked up to the platform.

Madam Bones smiled at her and Severus nodded which made her feel a little less apprehensive.

"Ready?"

Hermione nodded, not at all feeling very ready.

"Good, just clearly answer my questions and follow my instructions."

Hermione went to stand in front of Madam Bones with Severus by her right side while Professor Vector stood a little further behind them.

"Are you Hermione Jean Granger, of age and here of your own free will?" Madam Bones asked.

"I am."

"Are you Severus Snape, Potions Master and here of your own free will?"

"I am." Severus' voice was clear and deep and he answered without hesitation.

"Is it your intention, Hermione Jean Granger, to enter into an Apprenticeship in Potions under Master Severus Snape?"

"Yes."

"Is it your intention, Master Severus Snape, to accept Hermione Jean Granger as your Apprentice in Potions?"

"Yes."

Hermione and Severus were asked to face each other and he held out his right hand with his robes peeled back, leaving his wrist bare. She clasped his wrist with her right hand, feeling his warm hand solidly enclose her own wrist. His intense dark gaze met her eyes.

"Hermione, we will start with your vows as an apprentice. Will you obey and follow the commands of Master Snape, as far as they pertain to anything related to the field of Potions, without hesitation or disobedience?"

"I will."

"Will you work hard and do your best to learn all you can?"

"I will." That one was easier to promise. His eyes held her captive.

"Will you respect and honour Master Snape for his work in Potions?"

"I will."

It felt as if her skin was tingling with magic after the three statements, but the oaths hadn't yet settled into her skin, they were still racing each other all over her.

"Severus, your turn. Will you teach Hermione Granger as your apprentice in Potions, fairly and without prejudice?"

"I will."

"Will you protect and care for her while she is your apprentice?"

"I will."

"Will you give her all the knowledge she needs to become a Master in her own right?"

"I will."

Madam Bones lifted her hands straight up, and somehow several white ribbons appeared in her hands. She placed one in each of their left hands and told them to close their eyes.

"Your binding will now become official. Hermione, please give me the ribbon in your hand."

Hermione did so and watched Madam Bones tie it around their intertwined right hands. As she finished the knot, the ribbon turned silver.

"You bind yourself to Severus with silver, for creativity, inspiration and shared values."

Severus handed over the ribbon without prompting and Madam Bones tied them together with his ribbon too.

"You bind yourself to Hermione with black, for strength, wisdom and empowerment."

Madam Bones gave them another ribbon each to hold and repeated the procedure. She started with the ribbon Hermione held and tied them together again.

"You bind yourself to Severus with pink, for unity, honour, truth, happiness … and budding love, if I'm not mistaken."

Hermione blushed again but couldn't deny it against Madam Bones' smirk. Severus looked at her almost hungrily, the smallest of smiles playing on his lips. Madam Bones took his ribbon as well.

"You bind yourself to Hermione with orange, for encouragement, adaptability, stimulation, and attraction. Very good."

As Madam Bones spoke the final words Hermione felt the oath settle into her body, as if grounding an electrical current, and she closed her eyes against the sensation while the fizzy energy abated. When she opened her eyes she saw that the tied ribbons had transformed themselves into rings on their right hand ring fingers, hers was a platinum band with a black and an orange ribbon weaving around it, and Severus' ring had a pink and a silver swirl looping around it. Platinum was good for potions, Hermione thought, as it didn't react with much.

He released her hand and stepped back, allowing Professor Vector to come forward to stand beside Hermione.

"Now we shall add on the bond between the two of you as well," Madam Bones said.

"Are you Septima Vector, Arithmancy Master and here of your own free will?"

"I am."

"Is it your intention, Hermione Jean Granger, to enter into an Apprenticeship in Arithmancy under Master Septima Vector, once you have passed your NEWT examination in Arithmancy?"

"Yes."

"Is it your intention, Master Septima Vector, to accept Hermione Jean Granger as your Apprentice in Arithmancy once she has passed her NEWT examination with an O or an E grade?"

"Yes."

The grade requirement was news to Hermione but she didn't expect to have any trouble with it. She supposed it made sense to ensure that she had sufficient qualifications.

Hermione was again asked to face her prospective Master, and they clasped wrists.

"Hermione, will you obey and follow the commands of Master Vector as far as they pertain to your training in Arithmancy and while they do not interfere with your duties to Master Snape?"

"I will."

"Will you work hard to learn everything that she can teach you in Arithmancy?"

"I will."

"Will you respect and honour Master Vector for her skills in Arithmancy?"

"I will."

Again, her skin felt as if currents were racing all over her skin.

"Septima, will you teach Hermione Granger as your apprentice in Arithmancy, fairly and without prejudice?"

"I will."

"Will you ensure that she has access to whatever resources she needs to survive, succeed and thrive as an apprentice?"

"I will."

"Will you give her all the knowledge she needs to become a Master in her own right?"

"I will."

They repeated the ribbon bonding ceremony. This time, Hermione's ribbons turned blue for tranquillity, patience and devotion, and yellow, for confidence and joy. Professor Vector got brown for earth, grounding and talent, and grey for neutrality and balance. Another platinum ring appeared on her right hand ring finger, outside Severus'. The colours swirling around the two rings clashed somewhat on her finger but she felt immense pride in wearing them.

Once their new oaths had settled, all three of them were asked to hold hands. They faced each other in a tight circle with Madam Bones behind the two Professors, her wand raised over their hands and pointing towards Hermione.

"This concludes the Apprenticeship bonding. The Apprenticeship shall last until it is fulfilled by Hermione Jean Granger attaining Mastery in her subjects, or until the bond is broken by either party, or for a maximum of six years, whichever comes first."

Hermione felt Madam Bones' words settle into her oath as well and wondered how much more she could hold before her skin burst.

"As a token of our bond, I give you your Apprenticeship sigil," Severus said, reaching into a pocket when they had released each other. He showed her a brooch which he then pinned on her right lapel. It was a solid silver piece with what looked like gold inlays, and an intricate pattern which seemed to shift between an intricate dual S and a stylised cauldron.

Septima handed her a brooch as well to wear on her other lapel, a compass rose in gold with emerald inserts, and smiled at her.

"You look very nice now, Hermione. Please call me Septima in private from now on, and Master Vector in public after you start working on the apprenticeship."

Hermione didn't understand at first but then looked down at her robes and gasped in surprise. She was now dressed in a deep green gown with gold trimmings. The long sleeves were wide at her wrist and lined with gold brocade. The front of the dress had a modest v-neck, a golden band around her waist and hidden panels in the long skirt which opened to reveal more gold as she moved. The robes were absolutely stunning and looked to be of far better quality than anything she had owned.

"Is this from you, Pro … err, Septima? They're gorgeous! It's way too much!"

Professor Vector, Septima, smiled at her and told her not to be silly. Meanwhile, Severus walked up to stand beside her.

"Congratulations, Hermione."

She flung herself at him and hugged him fiercely, not caring who saw them. He staggered backwards but hugged her back briefly before disentangling himself. Septima smirked at them.

"Both of you, please stay a moment longer as Amelia and I would like to speak with you. Hermione, you may want to change back to your regular clothes. You may wear the pins on other clothing as well, although technically speaking you shouldn't wear the Arithmancy pin until you start as an Apprentice."

They gathered around Madam Bones to go over the Apprenticeship contract. Severus had added a clause that there would be no physical contact between them unless it was consensual or directly related to Potions. Hermione couldn't believe the sum she would be given monthly for her personal spending, and was also astonished to find that any profits from potions she helped develop and sell would be split equally with Severus. Somehow she suspected that normal apprenticeship contracts didn't have such a clause, and she was grateful for the generosity shown to her. She would also be encouraged to publish articles under her own name, not just under the name of her masters. As they had briefly mentioned during that first meeting, apparently Septima would also set up an account with Flourish & Blotts for her book spending, and Severus would cover any Potions equipment she needed including protective gear.

"Nonsense, dear, it's far from too much," Septima was saying. "In a regular single-subject apprenticeship, the master is required to provide both room and board and the personal allowance. In this case, since Severus will ensure that you are housed and fed, I can be more generous with the allowance. Both of us believe that this is in our own interests as well so don't worry about it."

The two witnesses signed the contract which swiftly tied itself up and disappeared once the signatures were complete. Copies would be sent to all participants and to Hogwarts while the signed original was stored at the Ministry. Meanwhile, Hermione went back into the dressing room accompanied by Tabby who helped her out of the beautiful robes and would have dressed her too if Hermione hadn't protested that she could put on her own knickers, thank you very much.

~x~x~x~

The four of them, now again wearing shoes, made their way out of the cavern where Madam Bones led them down another corridor. This time they ended up in what looked like a formal meeting room, dominated by a large oval mahogany table surrounded by reasonably comfortable-looking office chairs. There was a sideboard along the short wall with a self-serving coffee and tea set, and a few books in a shelf on the far wall. The room wasn't empty, however, and the occupant of one of the office chairs rose to greet them. Hermione stifled a gasp in surprise.

"Greetings, Hermione, Severus. Hullo Septima, Amelia."

Alastor Moody nodded at all of them before sitting down again. Madam Bones called for an elf to bring them some sandwiches and drinks, and Hermione discovered that she was quite hungry indeed. She had no idea how long the ceremony had lasted but suspected they had missed lunch by quite a wide margin.

"Um, hello Mr Moody," she answered and took a seat opposite him. Severus seated himself next to her, frowning slightly at Moody, and Madam Bones next to Mad-Eye. Septima walked around to the short end of the table and seated herself between Hermione and Mad-Eye.

"Please call me Alastor, after all we were both part of the Order, right? Are you an apprentice now? I heard some rumours from Minerva."

Severus chuckled. "Indeed, she was most upset that I snatched her favourite cub from under her sticky paws."

Moody smiled at that.

"I suspect you have some questions," Madam Bones said briskly. "Please help yourselves to the sandwiches and drinks. Septima, would you do me a favour by starting?"

Septima nodded at Madam Bones. "Right, well, as you may have guessed already I am not only a Professor at Hogwarts. I'm also an Unspeakable, as is Alastor. Amelia is the boss of this department. As you may know I was never part of the Order of the Phoenix, but I was stationed at Hogwarts to keep an eye on Albus Dumbledore and the whole situation with Harry Potter and Voldemort."

Hermione felt her world spinning again as questions came raining down while other information started to make more sense in light of what Septima was telling them.

"My Arithmantic calculations allowed me to predict and assess certain situations pertaining to the war, ensuring that Albus didn't veer off track too much."

Severus snorted at that statement causing Septima to smile at him.

"Yes, it was rather difficult at times, especially trying to do so without him noticing. He was after all very intelligent, and the Legilimency didn't help much either. As Severus already knows and you may have heard of, Hermione, the curse he foolishly contracted from a cursed ring led to a deterioration of his mind and cognitive abilities as well as his physical decline. During his final year he became increasingly convinced that Voldemort had created several Horcruxes, imbuing various items with parts of his soul, and that they needed to be destroyed before Voldemort could be defeated. My calculations showed that this was simply incorrect although there was a strong link between Voldemort and several items left for safekeeping at various places, but they all burned up after Voldemort was killed. My calculations also showed that Albus' preferred approach would have led to another painful year of war and lots of unnecessary deaths, culminating in a battle at Hogwarts. He wanted you, Severus, to kill him, didn't he?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, he tried to say my vows would require me to do as he told me, but luckily the vows I had taken didn't force me to commit a crime such as that, even if it had indeed been for the Greater Good." He sneered at the last bit.

"Where were those items that he thought were Horcruxes? Do you happen to know?" Hermione interjected. She had been involved in those discussions with Harry once he admitted what Professor Dumbledore had sought.

"One was found around Dolores Umbridge's neck, leading to her being sent to St Mungo's for severe burns until she was investigated further and sent to Azkaban for dealing with dark objects. Another was apparently in the Lestrange vaults at Gringotts, the goblins were most peeved at the damage to the vaults, and one was even at Hogwarts."

Septima took a sip of water before continuing.

"I think his idea was to ensure that Voldemort would trust Severus unconditionally and to set you up as Headmaster of Hogwarts. You would have been completely isolated from everyone else in the Order and from all the teachers. I really didn't agree with that and so I influenced you, Hermione, and also Ronald Weasley to ensure that you would plan a swifter end to the war, and Alastor helped convince the Order of that approach."

"So you're saying it wasn't Ron's plan? How did you do it?" Hermione frowned and wondered how much of all of it had been real. It irked her to know that she had been manipulated by her Professor, as well as by the Headmaster.

"No, the plan was actually Mr Weasley's, but he got the impulse through me and a less than official memory charm. He did very well in planning and executing it, however."

Severus put a hand on Hermione's arm, calming her down, and broke in before she could make a scene.

"That makes sense, Septima. I wonder if the three of you would care to enlighten us to two things, one being the alleged murder of yourself, Madam Bones, and the other being your conduct, Moody."

Amelia took over the discussion while Hermione helped herself to another sandwich.

"You know I belonged to the Magical Law Enforcement when news of my apparent murder were published. It was decided by my higher-ups and myself that it would be best if I were to disappear from the public eye for the duration of the war so that I could focus on the Unspeakable side and not be such a public figure. We staged my murder with the … assistance … of a couple of minor Death Eaters. For your information, Susan knows about my reappearance although we haven't made it public yet."

Hermione nodded. Amelia Bones was Susan's only remaining relative, so she was glad that her Hufflepuff classmate would have some family left.

Alastor cleared his throat.

"Right, Severus, I think I owe you some answers and an apology for how I had to treat you all those years. As you well know, when you have a role to play you must do so convincingly, and part of what I was tasked with was to place myself at odds with you in order to strengthen your position with Albus in a somewhat backwards way. He needed to see you as isolated from the rest of the Order so that he didn't think you would rely on others aside from him to provide you with support. I've been an Unspeakable since shortly after the first war, working with Amelia and Septima to ensure that we could bring Voldemort down."

Severus looked stunned, both eyebrows having risen high on his forehead.

"That is … rather unexpected," he finally managed to say.

Moody nodded, his magical eye fixed on Severus. "As you say. Anyhow, now with the war ended and both Dumbledore and Voldemort gone, I want you to know that I have always respected your knowledge and tenacity. This war wouldn't have been won without your efforts."

Hermione still felt almost seasick with the revelations that came upon them from both sides. One thing in particular stood out, however. "Why are you telling us this? Why now?"

Alastor started chuckling and Septima smiled widely. Severus frowned and looked at Madam Bones with a calculating expression.

"See Amelia, not much gets past this one," Alastor told his boss.

Madam Bones smiled and looked both of them over before answering. "Hermione, Severus, as you perhaps might have guessed, I want to offer you a job. Hermione, your intelligence and your skill set after you finish a dual Apprenticeship will be highly coveted and very useful to us, and Severus, your reputation as the best Potions Master in Britain and likely the best in Europe, precedes you. I have heard that you're planning to leave teaching finally, and I would like to offer you the chance of working for us either as a contractor or as an employee. It would give you the opportunity to do something more interesting than brewing Pepper-Up for St Mungo's. Neither of you needs to answer right away, just know that the offer will stand."

Severus merely nodded at Madam Bones.

"Thank you Madam, we shall be in touch. I assume there is something that will hinder us from talking about this to anyone else?"

"Naturally, although you may speak freely to any of us."

Coming back to Hogwarts felt like an odd anticlimax after such an eventful day, and they discovered that they were right in time for dinner. Ginny pounced on her right after dinner, and soon she found herself recounting the events of the day to the redhead girl and Draco. It was an odd feeling to discover that she couldn't even begin to say anything about Madam Bones and Alastor Moody being Unspeakables but it seemed that neither of them noticed. Ginny admired her new robes and pins, and even Draco whistled appreciatively at her in them.

Yes. Now, surely, everything would be alright?


	17. Winter's Breath

**Winter** **'s Breath**

Bonded. He was bonded.

He'd never thought that he'd bond to a witch. Sure this was just an apprentice bond, not a marriage bond, but the parallels were undoubtedly there. The bond allowed for a slight affinity to the mental state of the bonded partner, especially with regards to accidents and danger but also to some extent for happiness or other strong positive emotions, but it would take some time for him to get attuned to her feelings.

The last few weeks — months? — had passed quickly without much time for reflection. Prince Manor, classes and exams, all the visits to the Ministry, the standard Infirmary brewing and his research for Narcissa had eaten all his spare time although it hadn't been as taxing as serving the Dark Lord and the old man in the tower during the war years. He fervently hoped to never return to that level of tense exhaustion ever again during his lifetime, or he would surely drop dead from a heart attack. Nonetheless, his solitary evenings and nights had been filled with a deep longing for something, someone else, to fill that gap, and thoughts of a certain bushy-haired young witch invaded his mind when he least expected. At the same time he couldn't quite shake the apprehension and fear that she would soon discard him for someone else, finding someone younger and happier to drag her off to companionship and joy. After all, she wasn't even out of school yet and he knew well how much people changed in those first few years after graduating. He didn't dare to lower the walls just yet, to let her in, or even to examine his own feelings too closely.

The ceremony had gone well although he had been rather surprised by the development with Alastor, Amelia and the Unspeakables. He wasn't quite sure what to think of that but it seemed to hold some promise. If he were to collaborate with them he would get some interesting problems to solve and not just orders for Pepper-Up, and it would also let him keep in touch with the latest developments in Dark Arts and what happened to the remaining Death Eaters, if any were still in hiding.

Before returning to Hogwarts, Severus had taken Hermione to Madam Malkin's to order Potions robes. Since he already knew what he wanted for her, it was easy to rattle off a list of clothing she needed while the assistant shopkeeper took Hermione's measurements. His apprentice - _his apprentice -_ had said something cheeky about men and shopping, and laughed at his scoffed rebuttal, causing him to feel suddenly light-headed.

~x~x~x~

The next morning the Great Hall was rather empty with just a few students and teachers having breakfast. Several of the teachers were also away over Christmas since Minerva had agreed to let people live normal lives outside the Castle as long as there was enough staff to do rounds and supervise meals. There was even talk of letting married teachers live in Hogsmeade although that wouldn't extend to those that were Heads of House as they needed to be present for emergencies.

"Happy Birthday, Severus!" Minerva's greeting confused him before he remembered the day's date. Was he really turning thirty-eight already?

He considered this a moment. "I will concede that there is a greater chance than usual that this day might turn out not to be a complete disaster."

Minerva looked surprised for a second before nodding. "Well, considering the events of last year, I sincerely hope you are right. Here."

She handed him a gift wrapped in her clan's Tartan. The weight and cylindrical shape of the package had him smirking even before he opened it to reveal a bottle of single malt whisky.

"Thank you, Minerva. You always were better at gifts than Albus. This year's special edition?"

"Indeed, straight from the distillery. I don't really miss his gifts of socks and sherbet lemons either, you know. Do invite me for a taste some time, I haven't tried this one." She smiled at him, somewhat mischievously, twinkling almost as badly as Albus used to.

"Certainly."

A haughty snow white Malfoy owl delivered a heavy package that nearly crashed in his scrambled eggs. The bird nicked his bacon before taking off again, replaced by a school owl who also dropped a small parcel in his lap.

"Someone is popular today," Hooch quipped from a few spots down the table.

"Apparently," he murmured.

A while later, in his quarters, he put Minerva's whisky bottle in the part of his bookshelf that doubled as bar cabinet and opened the gift from Malfoy Sr which turned out to be a very rare, very Dark Greek Potions tome. The parcel was from Draco and revealed a pair of silver cuff links with emeralds and diamond studs embedded in a swirling S.

There was a knock on the door and his apprentice snuck in.

"Happy birthday," she said and handed him a wrapped gift.

He opened it slowly, not used to receiving gifts from people that actually cared about him, or to be honest, not used to people caring about him at all. She had used Slytherin colours, wrapping the slim parcel in an emerald green paper with silver ribbons. A black leather case, taller than wide and roughly the length of his hand, embossed with a silver Celtic ribbon framing a double S, opened to reveal a set of three pens. One turned out to be a blue ballpoint pen and the other two were fountain pens holding red and black ink respectively. The pens were clearly expensive, all of them black with silver details.

"Um, I have charmed them to never run out of ink and if you hold them I can set the charm to make them not release ink unless they're in your hands." She blushed as she watched him.

"Thank you, Hermione. These are very nice."

He summoned a piece of parchment and took out the pens one by one, testing them out as Hermione tapped them with her wand and muttered an incantation. They were indeed rather nice to use compared to the standard quills.

"You like them? I don't think quills and ink bottles belong in a Potions lab, and these should be impervious to most reagents unless you drop them in the cauldron."

"Then I will endeavour not to do so. Of course I like them, this is the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten."

"Oh." She blushed and beamed a smile at him.

They walked down to his labs together and Severus keyed the wards to recognise her. He started her on reviewing the efforts made so far with Narcissa's potion, reading through his extensive notes of what tests they had run so far and her symptoms, while he busied himself with some potions for the Hospital wing. His hands could brew the standard Calming, Healing, Pepper-Up and other such potions even if his thoughts were elsewhere, and it was almost meditative to watch the potions in the cauldrons.

Winky popped with a surprisingly polite and subdued crack, having learned the hard way what would happen if she startled him while brewing.

"I has dinner upstairs for Master of Potions and Apprentice," she said with a bow.

Hermione looked up from her notes and frowned. "Dinner? Did the whole day pass already?"

"Looks like it. Let us go upstairs, I will have no food in here."

When they sat down to eat he suddenly realised that he was ravenous due to missing lunch, and it seemed Hermione was no better off. They practically inhaled the beef stew, both of them going for seconds which apparently made Winky very pleased. They slowed down as they reached dessert, an apple and blackberry crumble with a vanilla custard. Severus felt content, for once, having good company and a nice dinner without interruptions.

"I've something else for you if you accept," Hermione suddenly said and dug through her bag which most definitely was bigger on the inside than on the outside. She fished out a small round jar in blue glass.

He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"It's a salve for sore muscles and scars," she explained and opened the lid. "I made it myself with oil from wheat germ, rosehip seeds, almond oil, neroli, rosewood and sage. I tested it on myself but if you accept I could rub it onto your back for you?"

He frowned at her but finally he complied after testing the salve on his hand. It smelled nice and the ingredients should work as she said. Pulling off his shirt he reluctantly laid down on his couch, face down, and Hermione clambered up to straddle his thighs and took some of the salve in her hands. He felt oddly vulnerable, baring his body's many imperfections and scars to her like that, half-clothed in his own bed.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he grumbled.

"Just relax."

Warm hands on his back, stroking gently from his shoulders and down his spine, up and down and back again. He hissed at the first contact, unused to the gentle touch of another, but soon the warmth from her hands seeped into his tense muscles, causing him to groan when she kneaded them. She found knots in his muscles that must have been many years old, surely, and kneaded them all into submission. He'd never experienced anything like it, the combination of pain as she dug deep into his muscles and pleasure at her warm touch and the weight of her on him was turning his brain into mush. When he had done the same for Hermione all those months earlier during their first encounter he had pulled mainly on memories of kneading Lily's back and shoulders when she was still friends with him at Hogwarts, always with her clothes on, never reciprocated.

Neither of them heard the Floo flare to life.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Minerva stepped out of the fireplace and glared at them both.

Hermione hopped off his back as soon as she noticed the Headmistress, and Severus quickly pulled on his shirt.

"It's just a back rub, Headmistress!"

"You are a student here and he's a teacher! You have no business in his quarters! Has he mistreated you in some way?"

"He's my Master! I'm not a student of his anymore!" Hermione protested, arms folded defensively in front of her.

"Severus Snape, was that your plan all along? Make her take the Potions NEWT and then seduce the poor girl? I can't believe this!"

"Minerva, desist at once!" he said, stepping closer to her.

"Exactly what have you promised the poor girl to not only become your apprentice, but to share your bed as well?" Minerva glared at him.

"STOP IT!" Hermione shrieked. "He hasn't Confunded me, forced me, blackmailed me, or otherwise made me do anything against my will. In fact, it is explicitly stated in my bloody Apprenticeship contract that he can't do that!"

"Language, Miss Granger! Be that as it may, but while you are a student here you will conform to the rules of the school! Get back to your dorm immediately!"

Minerva glared at both of them like a highly brassed-off cat. Severus could almost see her tail whipping furiously.

Hermione drew herself up to her full not very tall height and stared Minerva down, hands on hips. "I will conform to the rules of the school, Headmistress, but that doesn't extend to situations such as Apprenticeships. If you have a problem with that, please let me know so that I can withdraw from the school and continue with self-studies instead."

Severus was rather stunned by her defence of him and apparently so was Minerva who finally left in a huff.

"I should go," she said once Minerva had left. She stared at the door with an empty expression and her voice had gone completely flat.

"Yes."

He only meant it as such but apparently Hermione heard him differently if the look she threw him was anything to go by. He had never been good at relationships or inter-personal interactions but he was certain that he had just somehow, again, managed to put his foot in his mouth.

She gathered her things and practically ran out of the room without looking at him. He could practically feel his inner Slytherin side shaking his head at himself. _Fuck. This is why you can_ _'t have nice things, Severus Snape. You always muck it up somehow and they always leave you._

 _-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

 **A/N:** I guess their Christmas break doesn't usually extend all the way past Severus' birthday, but it suited the story. So there. Thanks everyone who reads, follows and reviews this fic! Onwards! I'm still planning 27 chapters in total and should be able to post 1 or 2 a week, a lot is already written but needs polishing.


	18. A Million Little Pieces

**A Million Little Pieces**

The castle filled with people again and classes started up. Hermione found it very odd to have so many holes in her schedule since she was several classes short, although she had not bothered with going to History of Magic classes in a good while. The spare time was quickly filled with Apprenticeship studies on top of her regular coursework for the remaining classes. She read everything she could about Potions ingredients and mind healing, but unfortunately it wasn't a field that was well understood.

Hermione dreaded the next meeting with Draco and the Headmistress but a few days before it was due she was approached by Professor McGonagall after her Charms class.

"I want to apologise for my outburst, Miss Granger," the Headmistress said stiffly. "I was simply shocked by seeing you and him in such an intimate situation and forgot about the Apprenticeship bond. I've seen the contract and as long as you keep all public appearances correct I won't have anything to say about it."

"Thank you, Professor. I do understand. I would never wish to endanger the reputation of either of us, or of Hogwarts itself."

The elder witch nodded. "I know, Miss Granger. Be careful, for both of your sakes. I don't want either of you to be hurt."

Hermione blushed. "Yes, Headmistress."

She had thought that the apprenticeship would mean that Severus would bring her closer but instead it seemed as if he was pushing her away. She missed him sorely and couldn't understand why he kept his distance. Why hadn't he defended them to Professor McGonagall and instead just agreed blandly that it was best that she'd leave? He basically left her alone to her studies, only interacting when he thought she should read something else or to discuss what he wanted her to brew. No quiet evenings in his quarters with some tea and a book, no discussions, no touching, definitely nothing beyond that. It was almost physically painful.

~x~x~x~

Harry was back in classes now, but much more subdued than earlier. He kept his head down and studied harder than she'd ever seen him do, _that_ _'s not very difficult,_ she thought somewhat sarcastically, and he seemed to have managed to stay on track during his time away from classes. It was hard at first to see him but since he kept his distance she was able to relax a little. Draco and Neville ran interference as needed, causing Hermione to roll her eyes in exasperation a few times when their protection felt overbearing.

One Tuesday at the end of January Harry approached her after Charms class, causing Draco to immediately step up beside her in an odd role reversal from their earlier years.

"Um, hi Hermione," he said.

"Hi, Harry." It felt odd that it felt so odd to talk to him. He'd cut his hair a bit, it looked neater than usual and his scar had finally started to fade.

"Could we talk a bit some day? I'd really like to apologise to you," he said, ruffling his hair with a hand.

She thought a bit but had to place a hand on Draco's arm to stop him from interfering. "Okay, but I'm not coming alone, I'll have Draco and Ginny along just so you know."

Harry managed a half smile, half grimace. "Um, fine. This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend, can we meet at the Three Broomsticks? I'll get us a private room upstairs."

"Alright, see you then."

He nodded and walked down to the Great Hall ahead of her, it was time for lunch.

She felt guilty about having abandoned Harry all autumn when he was struggling, but at the same time she knew that she hadn't been in a position to help him then. Get your own oxygen mask on first, and all that. She had barely noticed anything at all outside her bubble of pain and confusion and memories.

Ginny ran up to them as Hermione and Draco walked down to the Great Hall. At least those two seemed happy with each other. Once the first feelings of shock and surprise had worn off, Hermione found that they seemed to be a good match, with her quick wit and hot temper against his lighthearted sarcasm and refusal to take anything too seriously, and also his bouts of brooding loneliness countered by Ginny's fierce protectiveness and the inclusion in the entire Weasley clan, minus the matriarch as of now.

Draco joined them at the Gryffindor table for lunch, as did Luna who arrived from her classes just as they were seated. The end of the war had seen the House lines gradually softening as the Headmistress encouraged mingling at breakfast and lunch, and had even brought up doing away with the House tables completely during the Head Student biweekly meetings although that hadn't yet been decided.

~x~x~x~

She felt horribly tense as she walked up to the Three Broomsticks with Ginny and Draco. Ginny was also unusually quiet but at least she held her head high. The day was cold and the week had seen heavy snowfall, leaving a thick layer of white everywhere that glittered in the sunlight and creaked under her boots. Hogsmeade was full of students, most of them walking quickly through the village in small groups to get to the various shops and escape from the cold.

"Um, hello," Harry said when they met up outside. He led the way in and asked Madame Rosmerta to bring up four warm Butterbeer. They made their way up the stairs in awkward silence and sat down, busying themselves with shedding winter robes and scarves before Rosmerta's young barmaid arrived with their drinks.

Harry took a deep breath. "Right. Hermione, I just wanted to apologise for assaulting you. You've been my friend for six years, you have been along everywhere, you've tried to keep me and Ron out of trouble all these years, helped with our homework and all that. You've been like the sister I never had. I have no excuses for what I did and understand if you don't want to speak with me ever again but I hope we can find out how to hang out together again somehow. I miss you. I love you. Umm, like a sister." He raked a hand through his hair and looked rather uncomfortable but still met her eyes.

Hermione felt her eyes tear up and she nearly choked on a too large sip of Butterbeer. Meanwhile, Harry had turned towards Ginny who sat between Hermione and Draco.

"And Ginny, I'm sorry for hurting you. Really, I am. I basically tricked Lavender into my bed just to dull the pain for a little while and I hurt you badly, I still loved you, you will always be important to me. You're my other best friend's sister, no matter what, and your family has been like the family I never had. I hope Draco treats you right and that you're happier again now."

Ginny looked angry but Hermione interrupted whatever she was planning to say. "I miss you too, Harry. We were all pretty messed up after the war and Ron and everyone dying and all that, it's taken me too a long time to work it out and I guess part of me won't ever get over it. But before I agree to move on I need to know, what have you done to sort yourself out? Has Moody helped you?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I don't have as many nightmares anymore, Moody helped a lot actually. I guess I had been sort of self-medicating with booze and sex but I couldn't do that anymore at his place. I barely remember the first couple of weeks, I was just so angry and hated everything and everyone, myself most of all. He got me to start boxing against training dummies in his barn to wear me out physically and then he made me talk about everything, Voldemort and the war and all that. When I refused to shower for too many days in a row he took me out to the lawn and hosed me down instead and occasionally he had to tie me up somewhere to stop me from trying to run off but I knew he didn't do it to be mean and that he actually cared about me. I did run off a couple of times but he had taken my wand and lives in the arse-end of nowhere so I ended up returning to him. He really made me understand what I'd done to you, Hermione, and to you too, Ginny, and to Lavender and probably a few other girls. I'm sorry, really, I can't say how sorry I am. I don't think I'll ever end up like that again, I've learned better ways of coping now but I need to make sure I don't slip back. Plus he knows all kinds of Auror tricks, he's taught me lots. He took me fishing in the rivers up north a couple of times. It was cool, I've never done that with someone. Felt almost like having a family… " He trailed off, lost in thought, and took a large swig of Butterbeer, giving him a foamy moustache before he wiped it off. "And McGonagall showed up regularly with my school stuff so I could stay on track and she gave me Animagus lessons. I'm nearly there, I think I'll be a bird of some kind. I hope I'm not a duck or something."

Draco snickered in the corner, causing Ginny to glare at him over her mug.

"So, umm, how have you been?" Harry asked, turning towards Hermione.

She talked a bit about the work she'd done to get past the events, with a Pensieve. Draco hadn't heard that she had seen Severus' memories of the raid and of his appearance at Spinner's End and was a bit miffed about it, but accepted it when she mentioned that it had helped her coming to terms with Lucius' actions during the attack on Malfoy manor which in turn had led to her agreeing to testify at his trial. Harry asked questions about the events, wanting to check if his own memories were correct or not. Ginny and Draco listened quietly, neither of them having been present during the raid. Both Ginny and Hermione were crying when Harry asked about Ron but it still felt right to talk about it.

"How are you holding up, Ginny?" Harry asked. They'd ordered a second round of Butterbeer and some Pumpkin Pasties and crisps. It was getting dark outside, lanterns reflecting off the snow-covered roofs.

"Umm, I think I'm okay now," the redheaded girl answered slowly. "I've been going to some of those support sessions and talking to my friends. I still miss Ron but it feels like he'd want me to be happy, you know? Mum is the worst off of all of us but I think she's getting better too, she's been working on the garden a lot now that all of us are out of the house and we're trying to get her to set up some sort of business, like child care or providing home cooked meals or something, so that she has something to do other than worry about her kids. I got him a Christmas gift, did you hear about that? A Chudley Cannons scarf and some chocolate frogs. Hermione got him a book on famous Quidditch players. It was Luna's idea."

"Really? That was a good idea, he would have liked that," Harry said. "How's Quidditch going?"

Hermione tuned out the Quidditch discussions, content just to observe the others. Harry even included Draco in the discussions. They had met during the summer at the Burrow, warily at first but Harry had come to accept the Slytherin once he had heard that his parents thought him dead after the staged duel with Professor Snape, and they had declared a tentative truce.

She tried to focus inwards, to figure out what she actually felt about him now. He did seem a lot better and much more like his old self, the Harry who was her best friend and almost-brother, the Harry who was loyal and protective of those he cared about, the Harry who wasn't completely traumatised by having to fight a war he hadn't asked for. The old Harry would never have tried to assault a girl, she was certain of that. She felt a warm happiness spreading from her stomach, being surrounded by friends again, being able to be open with her own feelings.

Yes. She'd allow him back into her life, although with some caution to start with.

"Did you know Moody and McGonagall are dating, by the way?" Harry asked with a smirk that made him look a lot more like his usual self.

"What, really?" Draco interjected, almost choking on his Butterbeer.

Harry nodded, full on smiling now. "Yeah, I mean she showed up like once a week, and usually stayed over a few hours for tea or a dinner. At first I didn't really notice but I think they've been flirting for a long time before this, but later on they've been a bit more open about it and she's stayed the night a few times."

"Moody and McGonagall in bed, that's a mental image I didn't want," Draco moaned and put a hand over his eyes.

Ginny snickered at her boyfriend. "She's not as old as you might think, right? And Moody should be about the same age?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think they're both in their sixties and if wizards live to, like, 150 years old it would be a bit unfair to say they should live alone for the next ninety years, right?"

"She's been married before I think," Hermione said slowly, "I think there was something about a Muggle man that she couldn't marry without leaving the wizarding world, but then later she married an older wizard right after the end of the first war against Voldemort who died a few years later."

"Right, it's still odd," Draco said with a shudder.

"Can you show us the Animagus stuff?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Umm, I don't think anything will happen really apart from me sitting here looking stupid," he said, raking a hand through his hair.

"So no difference then, Potter," Draco commented, smirking. Ginny poked him in the ribs but still smiled at her boyfriend.

"Please! Try it!" Hermione interjected. She was intrigued, despite never having had the time nor the inclination for attempting the transformation, the theory was fascinating. It took a lot of dedication to manage it.

Harry stilled in the seat, closing his eyes. His breathing evened out and he seemed to focus inward. Hermione caught herself holding her breath as she watched him while nothing happened, until it suddenly did. With a whooshing noise he seemed to shrink in on himself. A startled shout turned into a squeak when his mouth and nose fused into a beak, and the arms he was frantically waving turned into wings. Feathers sprouted all over his body which kept shrinking and reforming itself in what appeared to be a rather painful transformation until finally a bird stood before them on Harry's chair. He was clearly a bird of prey, his dark beak curving into a sharp hook. His back was slate grey while his head was slightly darker with a yellow ring around black eyes, and black feathers on the top of his head similar to his usual unruly hair. His underside was beige with black horizontal stripes, and the feathers continued all the way down to his feet and sharp claws.

"Wow!" Ginny breathed.

Harry squeaked and flapped his wings.

"Looks like a peregrine falcon," Draco commented.

"You did it, Harry!" Hermione squealed, clapping her hands.

Meanwhile, Harry was hopping around, squawking and flapping his wings. Hermione hadn't expected that one small bird could make such a mess of a room. He jumped up and got his claws stuck in Ginny's hair, flapping his wings to try to stay upright.

"Calm down, Harry! You can't fly in here!" she yelled.

Draco helped to disentangle his girlfriend, placing Harry on the back of his chair and healed the scratches Ginny had received to her neck.

"Switch back, Harry," Hermione begged.

The bird cheeped at her and seemed to focus but nothing much happened. He seemed to get agitated again and started flapping his wings.

"Oh no, you can't change back? You need to go to Professor McGonagall!"

She rifled through her bag and found a small piece of parchment, and wrote a brief note to the Headmistress. The bird reached out a foot and carefully took the note in his claws, awkwardly flapping his wings to retain his balance. Draco opened the window and walked back to the chair Harry was perched on. He held out his left arm towards the bird. It seemed as if the Malfoy heir had some experience with hunting birds.

"Careful now, mind the claws, hop on up," he said in a low, steady tone.

Harry shuffled clumsily onto his sleeve, trying to hold on to the note, and Draco moved slowly to the window, keeping his arm steady. At the window Draco flung his arm outwards, giving Harry some initial momentum to get started and learn how to fly on the fly, as it were. After a clumsy start Harry quickly found his wings, probably fuelled by Seeker's instincts, and let out a sharp cry as he rose towards the sky, a proud bird of prey silhouetted against the pale sunlight.


	19. Hollow As A Bone

**Hollow As A Bone**

Severus met up with Hermione and Draco outside the Great Hall an early Sunday morning in February. They were to go together to Malfoy Manor for the next trial of Narcissa's potion, as he had managed to finish the base for it and Hermione had done several trial brews containing various unicorn parts. He wasn't too sure about its potential, however, and had tried to tell both of them that there were no guarantees for success. Draco had nonetheless insisted on joining them, saying something about it being unfair if Granger could go but not him when it was about his own mother, and Severus had eventually given in.

Draco was tense and unusually quiet as they walked down the gravel path to the Apparition point. Hermione appeared to try to cheer him up by talking in detail about the potion and what they had tested, which didn't help Draco's mood in the slightest, as Severus could have told her. They Apparated to the gates of Malfoy Manor which opened when Draco arrived.

Hermione shuddered slightly as they crossed the gravel path towards the large building. The peacocks were out foraging on the lawn.

"It feels odd to be back here," she said quietly to Severus.

He nodded at her. "Acknowledge what happened but realise what this place and the people in it are now."

She nodded and soon they walked up the grand staircase at the front, heading for the main entrance where the white marble had been scrubbed clean of anything reminiscing of its recent past. Lucius met up with them in the large foyer. He looked tense but at least he held himself straighter than he had before Christmas and some of the alcohol-induced puffiness had receded.

"Severus… or should I say Lord Prince? Welcome to my humble abode, good sir," Lucius said and sketched an elegant bow.

"Oh, come off it, Lucius, it wasn't exactly by choice," Severus said.

Lucius smirked at him and moved over to his son and Miss Granger.

"Apprentice Granger," he said, giving her a brief but polite bow.

"Lord Malfoy," she said and bowed in return.

He nodded at her and went to his son, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder which the younger Malfoy tolerated for a little while before accidentally-on-purpose stepping away from his father. Lucius let it slide as he led them to Narcissa's chambers. He called for the house elves that were overseeing her care.

"I shall be in my study," Lucius said and withdrew. "Draco?"

But his son merely shook his head and stayed.

Narcissa was still in stasis, clad in a white hospital robe on the bed. Her eyes were closed but she didn't appear relaxed, her eyebrows were locked in a frown and her hands were clenched.

"This will not be pretty," Severus said to his two assistants. "Draco, I would advise you to leave."

"I'm staying if Granger stays," the young Malfoy said stubbornly.

Severus sighed but didn't insist on him leaving. His Apprentice was starting to unpack the various potions vials. In addition to the potions they hoped to use for her cure, Hermione had also been tasked with brewing several of the standard healing and nutritional potions the elves administered to Narcissa to keep at least her body alive.

He nodded at the elves to remove her stasis and she immediately started thrashing and screaming, a high-pitched wail that set his teeth on edge. As they had discussed, Hermione made sure to stabilise Narcissa in a more upright position and used several charms to keep her from moving while Severus started pouring potions down her throat, starting with the standard healing and nutritional ones. He had to rub her throat and pinch her nose shut to get her to swallow, but after some struggling he had managed to get all of them down her throat.

Hermione held out the first of the three vials for the trial to him and was ready with the Dictaquill, having already logged Narcissa's current status. The first one was a mild muscle relaxant, the second was to induce a mild amnesia and the third should in theory heal the spots in her mind that weren't functioning. As the first potion went down he felt her relaxing somewhat but the wailing cries didn't stop. She hadn't opened her eyes. The second potion went down and suddenly the wailing stopped, leaving his ears ringing in the sudden silence. She swallowed the third potion and went completely limp. Severus gestured to Hermione to let Narcissa down on the cushions and checked her vitals with a standard diagnostic charm. Apart from a slightly elevated pulse everything seemed normal.

Wearily he rose from his spot beside the sickbed and went over to the window, rubbing his temples against the impending headache.

"What happens now? Did it work?" Draco asked. He had been standing as if frozen by the window, watching his mother's trauma.

"Now we wait," Severus said.

The house elves had been watching the proceedings as well, and were now cleaning and tending to their mistress, cutting nails, brushing hair and making sure she was clean and as comfortable as possible. One of them snapped his fingers and another elf appeared with a tea tray. Severus gratefully accepted a cup, as did Hermione. He noticed that her hands were shaking.

"You did well. Have you logged your observations?"

She nodded and shot him a small smile but didn't speak.

He sank down in an armchair and closed his eyes for a second while Hermione went back to observe their patient.

Not half an hour later he was awoken from his slumber when the shrieking wails started again. Narcissa arched her back, hands grappling the sheet, and screamed.

"Merlin's bollocks!" he swore and shot up from the chair.

He cast a silencing spell on her but they could still see her shrieking.

"What do we do?" Hermione asked.

"We need to observe her for another hour to see if there is any change," he said grimly.

Draco fled the room.

He cast another diagnostic charm on her to check her status. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any change in her mental status. She was still trapped in her own mind, undoubtedly reliving the worst moments of her life over and over.

After an hour of no change he gave up and told the house elves to bring her back into stasis. Hermione quickly packed the things they had brought and followed him back to the blue drawing room where Lucius waited with Draco. Severus didn't have to say anything for Lucius to understand the status. The Malfoy Lord abruptly turned away from them and fetched a glass and a bottle of brandy as Severus ushered Hermione and Draco out of the Manor. As the door closed behind them, the sound of a glass shattering on stone could be heard.

They walked to the gates in silence and Apparated back to Hogwarts.

"We'll try again, Draco," Hermione said to the young blond man as they walked up towards the castle.

"Don't talk to me, Granger," Draco hissed and stalked off towards the Quidditch pitch.

Severus shook his head and continued down to the labs to analyse the latest trial. He'd been cautiously optimistic that this might just work, but no luck.

~x~x~x~

He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Hermione had taken on the Apprenticeship but seemed wary of him nowadays, and with Minerva breathing down his neck he didn't exactly want to do anything too brazen. Guilt still haunted him, hounding his heels like a terrier. The Narcissa situation was not helping either and he had no further avenues to test, yet he owed it to Lucius, to Draco, to Narcissa and to himself to sort her out. _Will they ever end, these bonds of obligation?_

The whole deal with Prince Hall also felt heavy on his mind despite the seemingly fortuitous timing of the fact that he had gained a whole estate right as he was about to go looking for a location for his business. He didn't trust Aemiliana, not one bit. Not that he thought her dangerous to himself or to Hermione, but she had most definitely been involved in killing off at least Iodocus, perhaps others as well. If he had read her right she was one of those seemingly frail old ladies with a will of steel that could take on a whole battalion of soldiers by themselves, and win.

And his inexplicable bond and attraction to Hermione didn't help with his conscience either. He had held on to his presumed love and most definite obsession for Lily Evans Potter for so long, he barely knew who he was without it. Was it a betrayal of Lily's memory, to want another witch? Could he allow himself to move on, to turn his back on Lily? Despite the age difference, despite being her teacher, despite it all? Could he really truly trust her not to run off, to someone younger, richer, a handsome guy with an easy smile? He didn't want to dwell on how right it had felt to spend the night with her, to hold her in his arms, bushy hair and all.

~x~x~x~

Draco came down to see him the following evening. Severus let him in and asked Winky for some tea, waving Draco over towards the armchairs by the fire.

"I really thought it would work this time," Draco said to the fire.

Severus nodded but didn't have much to say.

"I guess that was a bit naïve of me," Draco added. "I thought that because it's you, that you always know what to do, that you can always solve my problems no matter what. But I guess you're no different from the rest of us."

"Draco, keep in mind that what's important is to not give up in the face of adversity. We will try again, and again and again. This is precisely what research is about and why I was reluctant to let you see her in that state."

Draco nodded slowly and drained his tea, refilling it from the tea service.

Severus eyed him over his own cup. "Allow yourself time to react, to break down, but remember that you must move on. Wallowing in self-pity or in anger at me for not being infallible will not be of help to your mother."

Draco swallowed audibly and put his cup down. "Yeah, you're right, I'll do all I can to help. It's just … it's just, what if she doesn't make it? What if _that_ is going to be the last time I saw Mother alive?"

He leaned forward in his chair, elbows on knees, and rested his head in his hands. Severus didn't move until he saw the young man's shoulders start shaking. He sighed, suddenly tired to the bone, and rose from his own chair to stand beside the one Draco was seated in to put a hand on his godson's shoulder. Not saying a word, they stayed like that until Draco finally ran out of tears and straightened back up. Severus offered him a handkerchief and went over to his bar cabinet shelf to pour two glasses of Minerva's latest whisky.

~x~x~x~

Some days later he went to the Forbidden Forest to collect a few ingredients for potions. He was alone this time, it was just a short trip and his Apprentice was presumably in class while he had a free afternoon. The Scottish winter was finally giving up the battle and the first few signs of spring were starting to show. The Forest was calm and still except for the birds making a nuisance of themselves, seeking mates and scaring off rivals from every tree. He felt a little lighter as he returned, carrying a large basket full of flowers, roots, mushrooms and other ingredients.

Someone was laughing in one of the greenhouses. A girl, by the sound of it. He idly wondered who was carefree enough to do so until he rounded the corner and saw Longbottom sitting very close to someone on the bench just inside the door. His Apprentice. Hermione. He stopped in his tracks and saw Longbottom hug her tight, and she let him. It even looked as if the boy placed a kiss on her hair while she held onto him, and she let him.

He watched the couple for an eternity, for half a heartbeat, before whirling around and stalking back to his quarters, scowling blackly at anyone who dared to stand in his path.

She arrived later in the evening to prepare ingredients and assist with the Infirmary brewing. He couldn't bear to look at her, and soon enough she noticed.

"You have barely spoken two words to me since I became your apprentice! What's the matter with you?"

He crossed his arms in front of him. "Why do I find you in the arms of the Longbottom boy? Are you that shallow?"

"Neville is a friend! Ever heard of those? I do hug my friends! We talked about his parents and what we could do for the trial to help them too! I've missed you!"

"Have you really? You have an interesting way of showing it!"

"Why are you so cold to me all of a sudden? I thought you cared about me!" She looked up at him with those brown eyes with flecks of amber, shining with unshed tears.

"How foolish of you, Miss Granger," he snarled. _Oh, now you_ _'ve done it again, Severus Snape,_ his inner Slytherin sighed. _This is exactly why you can_ _'t have nice things._

She froze as if stunned, tears tracking down her cheeks, eyes and mouth wide open. Without a word she turned on her heel and stumbled away from him.

He felt incredibly foolish and mad at himself as he finished preparing the ingredients he had brought from the Forest. To make matters worse, as soon as he was back in his quarters the relative peace was disturbed by an angry Septima Vector who waited outside his door.

"What have you done now, Severus?" The black-haired witch glared at him.

"Whatever do you mean this time, Septima?"

"Our apprentice, you dolt! I can feel her through the bond, she's completely devastated!"

He groaned and put his head in his hands, slumping back into an armchair. She was right, he had walled off the bond automatically with Occlumency shields but if he focused he could sense her pain.

"What am I to do, Septima?" he muttered. "A mere chit of a girl and she has me terrified."

Septima sighed and shook her head at him, but walked over to his bar cabinet and poured two glasses of cognac from his bar shelf without asking permission. She put one in front of him and settled down in the other chair. The evening passed mostly in silence, but he found that he still appreciated her company.


	20. Where The Wild Roses Grow

**Where The Wild Roses Grow**

Hermione ran back up to her quarters, hoping that Draco was out somewhere else, but she quickly found that he and Ginny were cuddling on the couch which was still obnoxiously orange. The couple still seemed annoyingly happy with each other and the younger girl often came over in the afternoons and on weekends. She took a shaky breath, still reeling from Severus' harsh words.

Ginny looked up at her and frowned, noticing her distress. "Hey, what's the matter?"

She murmured something about not feeling well and went to her bedroom, carefully warding the door and setting a silencing charm on it, before letting the tears fall. It took her a long time to fall asleep. Luckily Crookshanks padded in from his latest exploits and hopped up on the bed next to her as if he knew that his human needed a bit of comforting.

~x~x~x~

The next morning was luckily a Saturday as she realised she had slept in and missed breakfast. After a gloriously long shower she felt slightly less miserable and intent on proving to Severus just how wrong he had been. Apparently Draco and Ginny had also been taking it easy, or something like that, as they were still in their pyjamas in their common room.

"Hi, we just ordered breakfast from the kitchens, there should be plenty for you too," Ginny said and poured a cup of tea for her too.

Hermione prepared a toast with marmalade and for a while everything was fine. They talked about anything but a certain Potions Master, Narcissa Malfoy, Ron Weasley and Quidditch, the latter a rather firm requirement by Hermione. Ginny had apparently befriended Lavender a bit more after the holidays and it seemed that George Weasley was doing the same, on the pretext of setting up their beauty products line in the WWW shops.

"Really, Ginny? And you don't mind if she hooks up with George?"

Ginny smiled and bit into her toast. "Nah, she's alright actually and I think George is happy. I'm not sure if I want to be there when Mum finds out or if I should be as far away as possible, though."

Hermione grinned and suppressed a pang of something undefined, longing or jealousy perhaps, when she realised that Lavender would be included in the Weasley clan's family gatherings but that she herself would be left out. Still, she didn't begrudge Lavender the chance of hooking up with another Weasley and she thought they might be good together both in business and as a couple. Fred had been seeing Angelina Johnson for several years but George hadn't had any longer relationships to her knowledge, not that she had pried.

"Oh, and did you know Harry seems to be dating someone too?" Ginny said. She had always had an ear out for gossip.

"What, no I didn't! He hasn't told me. Who?" Hermione had talked to Harry during meals at the Great Hall but still didn't want to be alone with him just yet. It had felt good to at least get that bit of companionship back.

"At least he had the good sense to choose a Slytherin. Tracey Davis in our year," Draco supplied.

"Oh, really? That's interesting. Well she's quite nice, I hope it works out." Hermione had never had any issue with the Slytherin girl who had stayed in the background, carefully neutral despite sharing classes with Hermione, Harry and Draco. This past year she had seemed to relax a bit, the threat of war finally behind them, and she had even talked to Hermione during a few of their classes. Hermione thought that the Davis family had managed to stay away from the Death Eaters which must have been a difficult feat for a Pureblood Slytherin family.

As if on cue, everything went south after that.

Draco looked up from his teacup. "So, Granger, have you hooked up with Longbottom yet?"

Ginny snickered. "She wouldn't do that, she only wants to kiss her Master again."

Draco nearly choked on his tea. "What?!"

Ginny looked alarmed and appeared to realise, too late, that Draco hadn't known about Hermione's crush on her Master.

"She's just kissed him, right Hermione? You didn't stay in his rooms or anything?"

Hermione felt furious, miserable and embarrassed and didn't know what to say. "I … I've slept in his chambers, not that it's any of your business."

"You've _slept_ with Uncle Severus? Is _that_ why you wanted that Apprenticeship? That's sick, Granger! He's your teacher, for Merlin's sake! And old enough to be your father!" Draco shouted at her. "Was that why you wanted to be there for the potions trials, to get close enough to him to drop your knickers? You didn't care at all about my Mother, did you?"

"No I haven't done that! Only in the same bed! Let me explain!" Well, that was almost the full truth, if one squinted and looked at it sideways.

"You've _slept_ in Professor Snape's _bed_?" Ginny asked, looking horrified."Was his bedroom all black and full of chains? Did he actually have a bed?"

"Stop it!" Hermione near shrieked.

Draco was having none of it. He looked at her with utter disgust and stalked into his own room, slamming the door shut.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione, I didn't think," Ginny said.

"No, you never think, do you?" Hermione snapped.

Ginny gave her a hurt and offended look and went off to join her boyfriend, leaving Hermione alone with the remainder of their breakfast and the aching hole in her chest.

~x~x~x~

Too much. It was all too much. She didn't know what to do with herself. First Harry had assaulted her, then the Headmistress' accusations, Severus being cold to her and accusing her of hooking up with boys, and now even Draco and Ginny were upset with her. She took her winter cloak and dashed out, needing air, solitude, distance from all of it.

What stung even worse was that Draco's accusations were partially correct, if she dared to be honest with herself.

Her feet took her deep into the Forest. It was quiet and cold with a smattering of snow on the ground, the whole Forest sleeping off the last remnants of winter. Gradually her tears dried and she could breathe a little easier as she walked deeper into the gloomy darkness beneath the bare branches of the trees. She didn't much care where her feet took her. There was water in the streams and the first flowers were peeking out in sunny spots. She followed paths made by some large beings, perhaps the centaurs, as they brought her deeper and deeper.

Suddenly tired she found a clearing and sat down with her back against a tree in a sunny spot, wrapped tightly in her cloak. The sounds of the forest soothed her, and slowly she relaxed, letting her thoughts wander as she listened to the wind through the trees, the birds singing, the rustling of water in the brook.

A chittering, skittering noise and a general sense of uneasiness woke her up. Long shadows showed that the sun was about to set and it was already getting cold. Too many eyes were watching her, creeping closer in the dusk. She scrambled to her feet and pulled out her wand, but they were everywhere. Acromantulas. She remembered Ron and Harry talking about their experience in the Forest earlier but had completely forgotten about them being in there. Fear washed over her like a wave of cold water and she pressed her back to the tree. They were coming closer, ever closer, mandibles clacking and eyes gleaming. Their fangs looked large. And vicious. And painful.

"Stop!" she shouted at them to no effect, naturally.

How absurd that her Apprenticeship would end here before it had even begun, she thought. One of the spiders threw a strand of silk at her. She slashed it off with a slicing hex, but the others chittered among themselves and soon more strands were flying through the air. She tried to fend them off with Protego which caused some of them to bounce off, but others made it through and she barely managed to keep slicing them off.

Suddenly loud shouts echoed over the Forest, coupled with the trampling of feet and rustling of leaves. All the spiders stopped at once and turned towards the noise which was coming closer and closer. Hermione nervously wondered what else she had forgotten about that lurked in the Forest, surely Hagrid's half brother was no longer living there? The moon was in the wrong phase so it couldn't be werewolves at least.

A half-dozen Centaurs came galloping towards her brandishing bows. The bowstrings sang, finding their targets easily among the spiders. One of them waved a torch at the spiders, shouting at them to go away, while his friends kept killing as many as they could. Hissing and clattering the Acromantulas withdrew while the Centaurs advanced.

"Thank you," she gasped when they freed her from the last of the silk, careful to collect it for their own use later. They even milked a few of the dead spiders for Acromantula venom, a valuable substance they could use for trades if they were so inclined, or more likely for hunting.

One of them looked down on her sternly, arms crossed over his bare chest, black unruly hair spilling down his human torso. "I am Bane. You are lucky we were close."

Another one came up to her, this one a warm chestnut in colour on his horse half and with a red hair and beard. His equine ears flicked forward towards her but he appeared a friendlier sort than Bane.

"I'm Ronan. We saw you earlier this autumn with the Master of Potions and that you were given the boon of the unicorn stallion," he said. "The unicorns brought word of the Acromantulas having caught someone they cared for. What were you doing all alone in the Forest?"

At that she began sobbing. She tried to explain but it sounded ridiculous also to her own ears, and the shame and pain and fear took over.

"Come, it is too late for you to return to the Castle and the Forest is no place for one such as you alone at night," Bane said. "Since you are a friend of the unicorns we will accept you tonight."

She stumbled along after the Centaurs who were careful to keep her in the middle of their herd, surefooted on their trails despite the lack of light.

~x~x~x~

The sight of their camp had her gasp in surprise. A clearing suddenly opened up as they walked past large bushes blocking the way. There were several fires, some for cooking and some for warmth and light by the looks of it, and there were Centaurs everywhere. Straw mats, blankets and some sheepskin and other fur hides were arranged in front of some of the fires, under lean-tos made from wooden poles, dried grass and woven straw mats. A few lanterns hung from branches or poles around the clearing, providing more light that appeared to be magical in origin. Foals and mares lay on the blankets or busied themselves with food or other domestic tasks. Several of the stallions were busy working on a couple of hogs that they must have hunted down earlier in the day, and others were telling stories to a crowd of young ones, sorting out their tools or simply resting.

Many of them looked up as she entered. Several foals hid behind the closest adult and the whole camp went eerily silent. One of them, clearly a leader, walked up to meet them. Hermione thought she recalled him from Harry's stories, was it Magorian? His body was chestnut in colour with long, dark hair and black ears. His high cheekbones gave him a more refined appearance than Bane's but he still looked proud and sure of himself.

"I see you, friend of the unicorns," the stallion said. "I am Magorian."

Hermione took a deep breath. She felt completely out of her depths, Centaur etiquette had most definitely not been covered class or in Hogwarts, A History. "I see you, Magorian of the Forbidden Forest. I am Hermione, Apprentice to the Master of Potions and a student at Hogwarts."

Magorian nodded slowly. "The Master of Potions has proven to be a friend of ours. Bane, Ronan, I presume you have a reason for bringing a Hogwarts foal to our camp?"

The red-haired Centaur walked up to stand next to her. "We found this one in the clearing where we harvest hazelnuts and elderberries. She was about to be eaten by Acromantulas so we thought it best to rescue her, and the hour is too late for her to return to the Castle now."

A few of the foals had edged closer to her, peeking out from behind their dams, staring at her wide-eyed and with ears poking forward in a show of curiosity. Some of the other mares had also joined the gathering, including one that appeared to be the female leader of the herd. She wore a trail of vines in her dark hair, and her skin was a deep tan while her equine body was deep brown. Her human torso was covered in a white fur vest, but her arms were bare. Her pointed ears had white spots on the tips that shone in the firelight.

"I am Epona," the mare said. "Acromantulas that far from their lair? That is ill tidings indeed. Very well, Hermione of Hogwarts, you may stay the night. Can you send word to the Castle of your whereabouts or must we send a runner?"

She shook her head, embarrassed that they had to go through so much trouble for her sake, and conjured her otter Patronus. The foals clapped their hands in joy at its antics as it took the message for Severus. Belatedly she realised that she could have thought to Apparate away from danger and then return to the Hogwarts gates, but now she didn't want to offend the Centaurs by refusing their rarely-offered hospitality.

"Come now, stay with us here by the fire," Epona said. Another light chestnut mare, a younger but still fully adult one who said her name was Ambra, brought her some water and showed her where she could sit and not be in the way. She was handed a blanket, large enough to cover a Centaur, but it was soft and warm and comforting. Another mare handed her a plate with some meat and a large crumbly cookie made from what appeared to be oats, and suddenly she realised that she was rather hungry after all. It tasted delicious, the meat richly flavoured and seasoned with herbs before grilling, and the oat cookie was stuffed with berries and perhaps honey.

"Hi, I'm Ember," a young mare said and lowered herself to the straw mat next to Hermione. Her coat and skin was completely black but her hair and tail were fiery red, undoubtedly earning her the name. She appeared to be not quite fully grown yet, perhaps in her teens if translated to human years.

"I'm Hermione," she answered.

Ember turned out to be a chatty young lady and as curious about Hermione's world as she was of theirs, and soon they were swapping stories and comparing notes on life in the Forest and the Castle. Several other younger Centaurs also joined them, of Ember's age or even younger. A few of the youngest wanted to pet her hair and were very curious about her build, why was she so short and where was the rest of her body, and her ears? They also insisted on seeing her perform some magic, and after asking Ambra if it was alright she showed them a few simple charms and Transfigurations.

"Can't you sleep here tonight with us?" Ember's younger sister Finnuala asked. Her coat was chestnut with golden hair and tail, and white socks on her front legs, and her human torso looked similar to that of a child of maybe seven years old. "Mother, can she stay?"

Ambra looked at her young daughter and smiled. "She may, but first Epona wanted to speak to her. Come, young ones, it is time for you to get ready for the night."

The youngest foals were slowly herded away, complaining about bedtime coming too soon much like any human foal would.

Epona asked Hermione to join her at another fire away from the youngsters, and offered her a warm cup of herbal tea. Hermione got to sit on a crate heaped with pillows, bringing her almost to eye level with the Centaur who had lowered herself onto the straw mats.

"What truly brought you here, Hermione of Hogwarts?"

Soon she found herself telling the older mare the whole story of her last year. The war, Harry, Ron, Malfoy Manor. The first completely outrageous encounter with one Professor Snape, and what followed. Her realisations regarding her Master and her confusion over his actions, the attempt to heal Narcissa, her friends and their accusations that finally drove her to the Forest.

Epona nodded slowly as she had finished. "I see," she said. "Your human habits are much different from ours, but I do know your Master Severus. He's a proud stallion, that one. Yet he's always had a heavy cloud around him, cloaking him in guilt and bitterness and longing. I don't quite understand why he said you'd pick someone else? It seems obvious that your heart has chosen him as your mate?"

Hermione had to think about that. Yes, it was true. Mate. That fit, somehow.

"Well, he's afraid I'd change my mind and choose someone else, I think. He seems to think he's too old for me, or something like that," Hermione answered. "How do Centaurs choose a … a mate?"

Epona smiled. "Oh, Centaurs mate for life. Young mares will accept courtship from several stallions until her heart knows who is her mate, and if the stars agree he will accept the bond. Some know almost from the time they grow out of their childhood who their mate is but for others it might take longer, or they need to travel to another colony to find the right one."

Hermione nodded. "It's not quite the same for us but I still think my heart knows he's the one. I just can't make him see it."

"He's afraid, you said. Yes, I could see that. You need to make him believe that you have selected him as your mate, and with one such as him, words aren't enough. Show him you aren't a foal anymore, that you are confident and that you will stand by your choice."

Hermione thought about it. Yes, that made sense. Suddenly a huge yawn overtook her and Epona smiled. It felt as if several hours had passed while they talked, but when she looked around the camp it didn't seem like more than half an hour later. The adults were still talking or eating and some of the foals were still herded into whatever passed for bed for Centaurs.

"How long did we spend talking?"

"Ah, you see, Time runs differently when I will it to," Epona said with a smile. "Go join the youngsters and sleep. Tomorrow you'll feel better."

Ambra showed her the lean-to where her daughters slept in a pile of blankets among other young ones. Finnuala lay sprawled in an awkward position sideways across the blanket next to Ember who stirred when Hermione approached and scooted over closer to her younger sister to create space.

Hermione didn't think she would be able to sleep after such an eventful day but she was quickly lulled by the snoring sounds of the herd around her, and the warmth of her Centaur companions. The blankets were soft and warm, and there must be some subtle Centaur magic in the shelter that kept them warmer than they should have been since it was only February after all. She snuggled in closer to Ember and her eyes drifted shut, a small smile on her lips.


	21. The Highest Mountains

**The Highest Mountains**

Hermione didn't show up for breakfast the next day after his disastrous confrontation with her over Longbottom. She didn't seem to be anywhere in the Castle although he had spent most of the day checking his inventory for the classroom potions ingredients. He was concerned for her but couldn't do much about it. Draco was apparently in a bad mood again and had only huffed at him and stalked off when he tried to ask where Hermione was, and she wasn't in the greenhouses either when he had gone to look after lunch. Something was obviously amiss, but he didn't know where she was and there was no tracking charm embedded in the Apprentice ring.

At dinner, he was suddenly accosted by a flare of fear through the Apprenticeship bond, causing him to almost drop his glass. Septima appeared to have sensed the same thing, looking at him with in alarm from across the table.

"Is something amiss, Severus?" Minerva asked, noticing his odd reaction.

"Probably. I will investigate if you will permit me to leave? Miss Granger appears to be in some trouble."

Minerva looked worried. "Certainly, where is she? Severus, what's wrong?"

He had already risen from his seat. "I shall tell you when I know."

Septima approached him but unfortunately she didn't have any more leads than he had although she confirmed that their shared Apprentice didn't appear to be in the Castle. He quickly made his way out of the Great Hall, ignoring the murmured questions among the students. Luckily the feeling of fear and danger didn't last long and after another way too long interval her otter met up with her as he was just on the outskirts of the Forest. Strong relief flooded him at the sight of its antics. She was safe and in good hands. He wouldn't insult them by entering their camp uninvited at night.

~x~x~x~

The next morning he rose early, collected a batch of potions and salves and headed off to the Forbidden Forest again, this time rather more relaxed than the night before. The morning was chilly with frost clinging to branches but at least it didn't look as if it was going to rain or snow within the next few hours. The camp lay quite far from Hogwarts in a secluded part of the Forest. The Centaurs tended to change camps several times per year but they usually stuck to the same locations. At least the trek wasn't too bad since the Centaurs had treaded paths through the Forest that became wider the closer he got to their camp.

"I see you, Magorian," he said after giving the Centaur a formal bow.

"I see you, Severus," the herd leader answered with a smile, less formally than he could have. "It seems that we have something of yours."

He handed the salves and potions to Epona and got a bundle of rare ingredients in return. Over the years, he had helped them with various ailments and injuries and in return secured safe passage and access to what the Forest could offer that they had an easier time collecting than he did. A few times he had even been called upon by Silvanus Kettleburn, the former Care of Magical Creatures teacher, to help him assist them with foaling when something had gone wrong. He continued into the clearing, deeper into their camp, nodding at those he knew.

Hermione stood surrounded by centaur foals of varying ages. The youngest ones didn't speak English at all, but the slightly older ones helped with the translation between equine body-language and human speak. The feeling of relief that coursed through his body was almost strong enough to deck him, and he clung to a nearby tree to steady himself while watching her. She looked happy, gesturing wildly as she spoke and laughing at something one of them said. Suddenly she turned and noticed him. She lit up in a smile and moved a few steps towards him before the smile faltered and she stopped, hesitant. He found himself closing the distance and clutching her to him in a tight embrace, almost as if on autopilot. Her hands slowly rose to his back and soon she returned the embrace. He rocked her gently as her sobs started.

"Forgive me, Hermione," he murmured into her hair. "I had no cause to accuse you of doing anything with Longbottom, I completely overreacted."

She lifted her face from his shoulder and looked at him, her tear-streaked face still lit by a smile. "Yes, Severus. I've missed you."

"You had me rather worried yesterday, I was quite close to ask Minerva to launch a rescue mission."

She sniffled. "I'm sorry, I was so afraid. I don't know how Bane and the others found me. They saved me from the Acromantulas."

He nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Come, we should speak to Magorian. I see you have made some friends here?"

She started introducing him to the foals and youngsters who crowded around them, keeping a small distance around him but seemingly wanting to come as close as possible to her, while they walked back towards Magorian and Epona.

He led them in front of Magorian and released Hermione to stand slightly behind him as was proper for a Master and Apprentice. He bowed deeply to Magorian, Bane and Ronan who had walked up beside their leader. Epona was off to the side but also listening in. "I am in your debt, Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest. My Apprentice is my responsibility and I failed to protect her. I thank you for coming to her aid."

Magorian nodded. "Perhaps the stars guided Bane's path yesterday so that he was close when your Apprentice needed us. One thing we request, Severus Master of Potions, so that we may together benefit from these events. The Acromantulas are as you know not native to this forest, brought here by that half-giant who claims to be a friend to all things living except to those that actually live here. Our hunters kill as many of them as we can with bows and arrows but they breed like … well, like spiders, and we cannot contain them. They're a danger to us, and to all other living things in this Forest."

Severus nodded, thinking this over. He didn't know exactly where they lived or how many they were now. Albus had shielded Hagrid from having his feelings hurt even when that meant that every other living being in the Forest was endangered. Clearly that couldn't go on any longer.

"I vow to you, I shall find a way to banish all of them from this Forest. On my honour and the stars."

He knew the formal words. There was no other way with Centaurs if he wanted to keep their goodwill, but he felt the weight of yet another obligation, another vow, settling heavily on his shoulders. It would be a very difficult task, as well.

"As will I," Hermione interrupted. "It was my fault, after all."

He glowered at her but there was no use in trying to deter her, that much he knew already. "I will need time for preparation and planning."

"Very good," Magorian said, nodding appreciatively. "Our hunters will assist you with all that you require to see this done. Bane, will you shoulder that task?"

Bane nodded and promised to lend hand and hoof as appropriate, and to coordinate the other hunters. Severus bowed to Magorian again and asked Bane to share what details they knew about the Acromantulas while he let Hermione loose among the foals again.

As he finished the discussion with Bane, Magorian came up to him and beckoned Severus to follow him a distance away from the main camp.

"Friend Severus, I see your mind is troubled and the stars tell me some of the story. The rest I can read in your eyes, and in the eyes of the young mare over there."

He sighed and nodded, reluctantly. "Yes, it is … complicated."

"Is it, really? Or do you just want to think it is?"

Severus glared at the much taller stallion who seemed vaguely amused. "Whyever would I want that?"

Magorian shrugged and looked back at the camp. "Sometimes we cling to that which is known, even when it doesn't make much sense. I can see in her that she has chosen you as her mate, and I see in you that your heart wants to choose her but something is holding you back. You think she's too young to know better? I would disagree, friend, she knows the path her stars wish to take her."

Severus shook his head. "No, it cannot be. I am much too old and bitter for her and as her teacher there are certain lines I should not cross. She should find someone else."

"Bah, that's nonsense and you know it. When the heart has made its choice you should listen and start courting your mare. Besides, there is nothing that says you must do everything at once. Do you know how long I courted Epona before she realised I was her heart's choice?"

The stallion looked down at him and raised an eyebrow in a fashion eerily similar to his own standard facial expression.

"Our customs are not like yours," Severus muttered.

Magorian shrugged again. "It took me ten years to convince her I was the one, and not once did I tell my heart that it was too difficult and that I should just give up. Had she chosen someone else that would have been different, but she didn't, and I won her heart. Besides, I think your customs are more similar to ours than you think once you strip away what your Ministry interferes with."

Epona came walking up to them and rubbed her side against Magorian in an obvious sign of affection. She wore a simple tunic over her human torso and a large leather bag in front of her, hung around her equine shoulders.

"I want you, Severus, to let Epona listen to your mind and your heart. Find me before you depart."

Magorian sauntered off after gently stroking his mate's ears and back. Epona looked after her stallion with a smile before turning towards Severus.

"Will you let me see you, friend Severus?" she asked him, her dark eyes fixed on his, ears forward.

He frowned. "I suspect that you mean something rather different than what it sounds like, Epona?"

The mare nodded. "Indeed. As the lead mare I hold the most of our magic, and I would like to use it to help you."

"Magic? I thought you frowned at wand-waving?" He'd never heard of Centaur magic. The thought intrigued him, innate curiosity taking over.

Epona laughed and nodded. "Indeed, our magic is different from yours and a wand wouldn't do us much good. I see dark clouds around you and something is keeping them in place over your head. Would you let me see if I can figure it out?"

He fell silent and looked back towards the camp. Domestic noises filtered back to them through the trees, the youngsters playing and laughing, tools being used, gear being fixed and maintained, fires crackling, the low murmur of conversation. He had known Epona for almost as long as he'd known Magorian and knew her to be a strong and reliable leader for her herd. As the lead mare, she was the one who decided where to go and when to break camp, while the stallions handled hunting and protection. She'd been present any time he had been called upon to help treat one of them, and as such he knew her on a different level than Magorian.

"Very well, Epona. I will allow it."

She smiled and stomped her rear hoof twice which caused a younger mare to suddenly appear with a large jug full of what appeared to be water, while Epona dug around in her bag for some dried herbs. She drizzled the leaves into the jug before nodding at him and flicking her ear at the other mare who quickly scampered off. She moved closer to him but shook her head in annoyance over their height difference and asked him to seat himself on a nearby large rock while she settled on the ground, bringing herself almost at eye level with him.

"Just look at me and relax, Severus Prince Snape Master of Potions."

"That's way too many titles, just call me Severus, I thought we had established that a long time ago," he grumbled but complied.

It was almost Legilimency but not quite. He was drawn into himself and into her large eyes that swallowed him whole. _"Don't worry, I won't see all your thoughts or memories, only hints and glimpses,"_ he heard her voice in his mind say, or perhaps they were in her mind, or somewhere else, standing on a vast empty field, almost like a desert or desiccated seabed at dusk. _"There's something here though, some disturbance, do you see?"_ She pointed at something dark at the edge of his vision. It seemed to resist inspection, flowing away from him when he tried to focus on it, but he also sensed the wrongness of it. _"Someone has tied you down, Severus, using chains of perceived guilt and your own love for someone else to bind you. Who would do such a thing?"_ Slowly the dark mass became clearer but he already knew what he'd find in it. Albus. Lily. The damnable prophecy. Guilt, chains of servitude, of love or what he had thought was love at the time, perhaps obsession was a better word. Her face flashed past him. _"Lily…"_ he breathed but his childhood friend and teenage love interest didn't answer, instead Epona did. _"Let go, Severus, she chose another for her mate, and her death was not your fault. You know this. Another used you for so many years, carefully cultivating your pain and longing, leaving the wound to fester, never to close or heal. She's your past, not your present, not your future. Let go of the chains."_

A shower of icy cold water wrenched him from the vision and he sputtered and gasped indignantly while Epona finished pouring the contents of the large jug over his head.

"Drink this," she then said and held up a clay bowl to him which steamed in the cold February air.

He sniffed it carefully and managed to pick out sage and nutmeg but also willow bark, mint, honey, and cinnamon. While the cold shower had been a rather crude awakening, the hot drink felt invigorating instead and soon he could feel a warm tingling spreading from his chest out to his arms, legs and up his neck. He drained the bowl. Waves of energy were rushing through him, making his scalp tingle and had him itching to move, to do something with all this power and energy.

From nowhere his stomach roiled and he vomited violently over a nearby bush, narrowly missing his boots and Epona's hooves, a dark vile sludge of black spewing from his throat that didn't look at all like what he had just drunk down. The flow of darkness from his mouth seemed almost alive as it hit the ground, hissing and slithering about. He retched again and again, spewing up more blackness, until he felt completely empty. Epona had moved closer and held his hair back from his face but otherwise she seemed unconcerned.

Finally the last of it was out of his body and he straightened up shakily, gratefully accepting the wet cloth Epona had procured from somewhere to wipe his nose and mouth. She held out another mug to him which he eyed sceptically before taking it.

"Just tea on chamomile and ginger to soothe your stomach," the mare reassured him which was confirmed by his nose once he could smell things again.

Grateful for something to rinse his mouth with he sipped the hot liquid carefully.

"What… was that?" he finally managed to ask.

Epona frowned and looked at the bush he had defiled. All the black sludge was gone already. "That, my dear friend, was the result of someone binding you with strong magic to make you relive your perceived guilt and pain every day. It's all gone now, Severus. The woman too, she let you go a long time ago and her death wasn't your fault. If you look again you should find your parched desert a bit wetter now."

He closed his eyes. Some of the energy still remained, making him feel lighter and stronger than in a long time. The vast landscape he'd seen previously had turned into a lake and a meadow, the herbs and other plants Epona had put in his impromptu shower blossoming in the verdant rolling hills. His soaked hair and clothing were drying off at a suspiciously rapid pace.

"Go now, collect your mate and return to your castle. Oh, I suspect you were under more than one type of binding so you may encounter some unexpected side effects. Be careful with your strength and your magic the next few days so that you don't scare her off."

He took a deep breath and exhaled somewhat shakily. "Thank you, Epona. I have no idea what you just did but it seems to have worked."

The mare smiled at him and waved for him to go join the others.

~x~x~x~

Hermione was busy talking to a couple of mares and older fillies and didn't notice him approaching until he was almost upon her.

"Severus, what — "

Hermione didn't get any further before he had caught her in a fierce embrace and captured her mouth in a searing kiss. He nipped at her soft lips, requesting entry, and she opened her mouth to his and met his questing tongue while tangling her hands in his hair. The fire in his veins from Epona's odd treatment had most definitely spilled over into wanting her, needing her touch. He had never felt so alive. They were both flushed and breathing heavily when they parted.

"Hermione …" he whispered.

He lowered his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. Her fingers were still in his hair, massaging the back of his head which sent shivers down all the way to his knees.

"Severus, either explain what happened or kiss me again."

With a chuckle he chose the latter alternative and captured her lips again in a gentler but still intense kiss. She responded eagerly again, allowing him to draw her closer, closer still, tasting her. As they parted she captured his head between her hands and pulled back far enough so that she could look him in the eyes.

"What happened?"

He raised an eyebrow at her again and the corner of his mouth turned up in a lopsided hint of a smile. "I thought I had a choice?"

"I'll settle for both but explain now, please."

Reluctantly he released her and frowned, finally noticing the crowd of onlookers they had acquired. They seemed to be suspiciously close to clapping their hands at the display, or perhaps to bring out the bowls of popcorn.

"Epona did something to cleanse me of darkness and bad decisions. I need to think about this but we shall talk when we return to the Castle." He looked down at her again as if it was the first time he saw her, her brown eyes sparkling with a smile, her lips swollen and wet from his onslaught, her lack of fear of him and even affection shining through.

"Let's return then, I have much to research after what Ambra and the others have shared," Hermione said and kissed his cheek before disentangling herself to say goodbye to the Centaurs.

~x~x~x~

Severus led Hermione up to the Headmistress' tower as soon as they were back at Hogwarts. The witch herself was seated as usual behind a mountain of paperwork, thin spectacles and a pinched frown firmly in place as she went over the parchments. She looked up as they entered, a flash of relief showing on her face as she spotted Hermione behind him.

"Hermione, where were you gone? I heard you were missing?"

Hermione flushed red. "I was in the Forest. The Centaurs took me in for the night."

He interrupted them before Minerva could get started on her usual tirade. "Minerva, as you can see, she is safe and sound again. However that visit led to some revelations and a task we need to discuss."

Together they outlined the problem with the Acromantulas in the Forest, and Minerva nodded grimly. She was horrified to hear that they had spread so far and that they posed such a threat to all other living things in the Forest.

"Hagrid will be devastated," Minerva said slowly. "I never fully understood why Albus coddled him so, allowing him free rein in the Forest like that to the detriment of everyone else."

"Guilt, probably, after that mess with the Chamber of Secrets the first time around," Severus suggested.

Minerva nodded, lost in thought, before she seemed to come to a decision. "I fully agree with you and with the Centaurs. Those nasty spiders must go. I happen to know that Hagrid is planning to visit Madame Maxime during the Easter break, it would be wise to plan the extermination for that time."

~x~x~x~

Hermione threw herself into her research as soon as they made it back to the dungeons, heading straight for his library. Apparently the Centaurs knew a thing or two about minds and healing. After Epona's treatment of him he was inclined to agree despite still being unable to figure out what she had done.

"Tell me what you learned," he asked when it became obvious that she didn't want to let go of her train of thought just yet.

"It's something that we might use for Narcissa. Ambra talked about the way they view the mind and consciousness, apparently they think the whole herd is connected somehow and that you need to treat every aspect of an illness at once. She also mentioned some magical plants that grow deep in the Forest that I haven't seen mentioned earlier in potions and promised to give me some samples next time I see her."

He dug out a few of his more obscure Herbology books from his bookshelves. She flopped down on his large area rug and soon books, Muggle pens and notebooks were spread halfway across it, while he sat down in an armchair with the latest issue of Potions Monthly. His thoughts kept straying away from the paper, however, bouncing between topics like those Weasley-issued fireworks that had caused much furtive enjoyment during Umbridge's reign. His mind felt fresh, spring-cleaned perhaps, and when he tried to think of Lily he realised that he recalled her fondly but that the pain and longing was completely absent. Albus still made his jaws clench, however, although he didn't think the old codger could have manipulated him quite so easily now after Epona's treatment as he had before.

Winky showed up with a very polite pop and wondered if Master and Miss Apprentice would like dinner. He was surprised to find that the whole day had passed, and Hermione apparently barely noticed the elf's appearance as she was so engrossed in her reading. Epona's draught had somehow made him forget about lunch but as Winky efficiently set up the table for two with a rich lamb stew, freshly baked bread and some sauteed green beans, his stomach was quite insistent in telling him that he was indeed hungry. After threatening to revoke his Apprentice's access to his books she reluctantly got up from the floor, stretched and sat down opposite him. Both of them were too focused on eating to talk during dinner until they reached dessert, a nice apple crumble with vanilla sauce.

"Will you stay a while? We have much to discuss," he said slowly. He did want her to stay but although his inner Slytherin was yelling at him to behave and not blow things up, again, some other parts of him were arguing for taking her to his bed and never letting her go.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I think so too."

They moved back towards the fireplace where Winky had already delivered tea for them without prompting. Hermione flopped down on the couch while he took a seat in his customary armchair.

"There are certain things I should tell you of my past," he began. "I assume Potter has told you what he learned when he snooped where he shouldn't have in his fifth year?"

Hermione frowned and shook her head. "Harry? No, was that during Occlumency? He just said that you thought he was as good as he'd ever get and that you'd cancelled any further lessons, not that I believed him."

Both of his eyebrows shot up at that. "Truly? He didn't tell? That is more than I expected of a Potter," he said, half to himself.

She shook her head in protest. "Harry isn't like that. Is it about his father? Sirius was also always trying to make Harry into James."

He nodded slowly and stared into the fire, trying to sort out his thoughts. Yes, even the pain of Potter was less now. Perhaps the current incarnation of messy hair and round glasses wasn't quite as bad as his father, who most definitely would have shared any such secrets with all of Gryffindor tower, or the whole Great Hall during dinner.

"Perhaps I ought to start in a different direction. I knew Lily Evans as a child, we were of the same age and grew up in the same neighbourhood although her family was a lot richer than mine, not that that was very difficult. She was also a Muggleborn witch, and I told her about Hogwarts and magic. She was my friend, my only friend for quite some time, and my feelings deepened although she never reciprocated them. Unfortunately, as you may have heard from Potter, we grew apart due to her being sorted into Gryffindor, and due to our respective choice of friends. My lashing out at her when Potter and Black humiliated me in front of the whole school after our OWL exams didn't help much either, I called her Mudblood and she never forgave me."

Hermione nibbled her lip. "Lily … Potter? Harry only told me that it seemed like you knew his mum, nothing more."

"Well, there you have it. When I learned that the Dark Lord wanted to kill her due to the prophecy that I had foolishly told him about, guilt and my feelings for her made me go to Albus and accept to spy on the Dark Lord. I thought it was love but now I wonder if it wasn't something artificially enhanced by Albus, carefully maintained all these years to keep her son alive."

"You think he used your feelings to keep you in line? That's awful!"

Severus shrugged. "You may have known Albus Dumbledore as a twinkly old grandfather, but he was a ruthless commander who was always keen to use people for the Greater Good. Epona did something to me today that I cannot quite explain, but whatever it was seems to have purged my body of Darkness and from what she said, several compulsions including that one. It feels as if I am finally free to move on from Lily Evans Potter now that she is returned to the past and my debt to her and Potter has been repaid."

Hermione nodded slowly, gazing into the fire as she thought. "Thank you for telling me," she said quietly before looking at him again. "You said she never forgave you for lashing out? Did you apologise?"

"Of course, but she would hear none of it."

She frowned at him, seemingly upset for his sake. "Then she wasn't much of a friend, was she? If Harry had said something like that to me I'd have shouted at him and whacked him over the head but then if he was sorry and as long as he didn't do it again I'd have forgiven him."

He sipped his tea, staring into the fire. Telling her of his worst actions had been surprisingly easy, and she had actually refrained from asking a thousand and one questions. Finally he turned his gaze from the fire and met her eyes as he shifted forward in his chair.

"As for the rest of it, Hermione … The Centaurs seem to think that you have chosen me as your mate, as they say? They also think I am being foolish for trying to deny that my heart has already chosen you."

She smiled at him which was interrupted by a huge yawn just as she was about to say something. He rose and pulled her to her feet as well, cupping her cheek gently.

"Will you stay?"

Hermione bit her lip again. He itched to kiss her to make her stop doing that but suspected that doing so might just act as further encouragement.

"I do want to stay but after this long I don't think I'm ready for much more right now. I need to know that this is real first."

"Hermione, I will not push you. I am not a boy, I can control myself."

She nodded. "I know, I trust you. I just wanted to make that clear. In that case, I'll gladly stay here tonight. With you."

Despite all his assurances just a moment ago he couldn't resist seeking her lips for another kiss which quickly grew heated with her eager response. Winky came to the rescue again and reappeared with Hermione's toiletries a few seconds later. Hermione disentangled herself from him and went to the bathroom to change while he doused the lights and checked the wards for the night.

She was already half asleep under the covers when he returned from the bathroom clad in his undershorts and a t-shirt, but she snuggled up to him and put her head on his shoulder, a leg slung over his knee, her arm across his chest. He breathed in her scent, burying his nose in her hair, feeling her breasts pressed against his ribs, which unfortunately didn't go unnoticed by his dick which started twitching despite his assurances to Hermione that he would respect her wishes and behave. He tried to shift away from her and to adjust the waistband of his silk boxers without her noticing anything, and to focus on his breathing. The remainder of the energy from Epona's treatment still made him jittery and apparently his cock was not in the mood to calm down now that he had her so close, warm and soft in his arms.

He had just resigned himself to taking a cold shower when she shifted slightly and brushed his crotch with a thigh. He sighed as her sharp intake of breath made it obvious that she had noticed the state he found himself in.

"Just ignore it, Hermione."

She hummed against his chest and her free hand started drifting up towards his face to softly brush his jaw, eyebrow and temple. He still couldn't quite believe her easy acceptance of him and the way she seemed to enjoy touching him, being touched by him. What did she see in him that everyone else, including himself, hadn't seen for so many years?

While he had been distracted by his own thoughts she had apparently let her hand trail down his chest to sneak under his t-shirt, trailing lazy circles on his stomach and up his chest before suddenly pinching a nipple. He growled and was just about to return the favour when she pushed him down and then rather quickly snaked her hand under his pants, taking hold of his now very happy dick.

"Hermione, you don't have to…"

"Shh, you seem tense, I can help," she murmured somewhat indistinctly against his pectoral muscle.

His half-hearted protests died on his tongue as she grasped him tighter and started moving her hand up and down his shaft. Her hand felt soft and smooth and above all it wasn't his own. She seemed to think the shorts were in the way so he banished them, not caring where they ended up, and the t-shirt too for good measure. Suddenly her hand felt slick with oil, she must have done a nonverbal, wandless charm to add some lubrication.

"A little faster," he murmured, his free hand clasping the bedsheet, the one around her shoulders clutching her tight against his side.

She complied and when she suddenly nibbled and sucked his nipple he exploded way too soon all over his stomach, cursing at the intensity of it. She didn't let go until he was spent and slack in her hand.

"Thank you," he managed.

She smiled and yawned again. "Think you can sleep now?"

"Most definitely."

He cleaned the mess with a quick Tergeo charm and kissed her gently before she turned over, allowing him to spoon her as she fell asleep. Not much later, he too slept soundly, a warm witch in his arms, in his bed. _Good job, maybe there is actually hope for you,_ his inner Slytherin muttered.

 **-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N:** I got a comment on Epona, I never played Zelda myself but it's the name of a Celtic goddess of horses so that's probably where the Zelda devs got it from too!


	22. Find The River

**Find The River**

It took her a few moments to recall where she was, and with whom, when she awoke the next morning. Unfortunately it was already Monday and they ought to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. She yawned and wiggled her bum against him instead, causing him to pull her tighter against his chest, muttering about cheeky little witches that don't let their wizards sleep.

"We should get up, it's Monday," she tried to argue. She didn't have classes until the second period, however, so she didn't have to rush.

Instead of answering, he snaked a hand up to cup her breast and started nibbling her neck.

"Well, Miss Granger, feel free to leave if you wish to join the screaming hordes in the Great Hall rather than allowing me the courtesy of remedying the fact that I was unable to reciprocate last night?" His breath was hot on her neck, causing goosebumps to start marching down to her knee, and then he nibbled her earlobe which made matters even worse.

She asked for some water, conscious of her morning breath, before she twisted around towards him and kissed his nose. She had slept unusually well in his bed, happy to finally be allowed back next to him. "Do get on with it then, good sir," she said and waved at him to continue.

She felt his smile against her neck as he shuffled closer, his warm hands roaming under the t-shirt she wore to bed while he lightly kissed and nipped her throat and cheek. Soon his touches sparked a fire hot in her core, making her ache with want.

"Will you let me taste you, Hermione? I want to see you unravel if you allow me to," he breathed into her ear.

She whimpered and kissed him in response, unable to form any coherent reply. He smirked again and slowly pulled the t-shirt off her so that he could devour her breasts before moving lower, lower again. Her soft shorts and knickers were swiftly removed and soon she had his hands and hot breath on her inner thigh, slowly converging on her aching core. How could he have such an effect on her so quickly? All it took was a quirk of his lips and a raised eyebrow and she'd happily spend the rest of the day with him in bed. He didn't waste any time, his long fingers were quick to seek out her folds, teasing her slowly before his lips and hot tongue followed, making her moan. He drove her wild with his tongue lapping at her, circling her clit, building up a rhythm that was soon followed by a finger slowly being inserted, gradually, following the rhythm. When he added a second finger and seemed to poke at some special spot deep inside her she quickly unravelled, her thighs clamped around him until she came down from her peak. He didn't seem to mind, however, if his pleased smile was anything to go by.

~x~x~x~

Draco cornered her already during lunch and wanted to talk but agreed that the Great Hall wasn't the best place for such discussions. She'd returned to her room after a quick shower and a breakfast brought by Winky, and had just managed to get changed into her uniform and walk to the Charms classroom in time for the lesson to start. Professor Flitwick had them revising enhancing charms that made objects or shield spells stronger or more powerful in other ways, and as usual the class was rather chaotic with items and the occasional student flying around the well-padded classroom.

Hermione and Draco went down towards the lake to avoid listening ears, pulling their cloaks tight against the gusting winds. She felt surprisingly at peace after the tumultuous weekend, first with the Centaurs and then with her Master. Draco threw a pebble in the lake which caused the Giant Squid to raise a tentacle above the surface.

"I'm sorry, Granger. I shouldn't have lashed out like that, you know. I saw that Uncle Severus was really worried about you when you were missing. Where did you go, by the way?"

Hermione shot him a small smile. "Thanks, Draco. I ran to the Forest and ended up with the Centaurs for the night, but I did send a message."

"Wow, the Centaurs? Really? I didn't think they accepted humans into their camp. Anyway, it's none of my business and when I thought more about it you actually make sense together, in an odd way. Besides, at least you have the good sense to choose a Slytherin. Even if he happens to be my sort-of Uncle." Draco smirked at her and she mock tackled him for impertinence.

"You were a bit right anyway about my intentions," Hermione admitted. "Although I of course thought it was horrible what happened to your mother, it didn't actually feel real until I had seen her. I hope you understand what I mean? But now that I know more I'll definitely do all I can to help. The Centaurs told me some things which might be useful too but I have lots of work to do to test it."

Draco nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Thanks. We should head back. Oh, by the way, will I have to call you Aunt Hermione now? If you end up with Uncle Severus?"

Hermione glared at him but soon burst out laughing, unable to even pretend to be angry with him.

~x~x~x~

She'd asked Draco, Ginny, Neville and Harry to meet up with her the following Friday evening for some planning. A quick Floo call to the kitchens soon had the living room table laden with bread, various cheeses, grapes and pears, pastries and even crisps although some of them looked suspiciously pumpkin-y. Ginny was naturally the first to arrive, and they had another one of those awkward conversations where both parties felt slightly foolish with the need to apologise, but to Hermione's relief they managed to hug and forgive each other. She didn't want to lose another Weasley. Ginny promptly seated herself in Draco's lap in one of the armchairs, while Hermione took the other one.

Neville and Harry came in together and took a seat in the sofa while Draco handed out bottles of Butterbeer to everyone. He had asked if he should bring something stronger but Hermione had nixed it, thinking of Harry and not eager to see him drunk again. She could see that he too thought of that night, the last time he had been in this room, as he had seemed surprised by the updated furniture and awkwardly seated himself far from Hermione, which unfortunately for him meant opposite Draco and Ginny.

"So why have you summoned us to the Head Quarters?" Harry asked, causing Draco to snort and Ginny to sigh at the bad pun.

"Right, well I wanted to talk to you about some things that happened this weekend," Hermione began and told them of her adventures in the Forest with the Acromantulas and the Centaurs. She also described what she had learned about the mind-altering plants and mushrooms the Centaurs used, and she talked about the task Severus had been set by Magorian.

"I'll gladly help destroy those spiders," Harry said. "They're really nasty, nearly ate Ron and I when Hagrid told us to go visit them."

"He did that?" Draco said. "And you consider him to be a friend?"

Harry shrugged and looked somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah, when you put it like that it sounds a little crazy."

Hermione finally got the chance to dig into the snacks and started preparing a couple of cheese crackers while the others talked. The elves had really outdone themselves this time. Neville was staring at the wall with a blank look on his face, not quite participating in the discussion.

"But how do we kill off all the spiders?" Hermione shot in.

"Yeah, it's not like we could hex them one by one," Ginny said slowly and snagged some grapes. She started to absentmindedly feed half of them to Draco. "Fire doesn't seem very safe either in the middle of a forest."

"Poison them?" Draco said, slightly muffled by the grapes. "Hard to get all of them, though. Can you set something out as bait?"

"Don't they only take live prey?" Hermione asked. She was sure she had read that somewhere, that Acromantulas were quite intelligent creatures who collaborated to bring down large prey to their lair, and that they had a rather strict hierarchy based mainly on size. The largest one got to eat first and thus stayed the largest.

"I don't want to know," Ginny said with a shudder. "If that's true we can't really use bait, at least I don't want to try herding poisoned cows through the Forest for the spiders to eat."

"Yeah, that would be odd," Draco agreed.

They tossed out various ideas but aside from fire, which would be impossible for other reasons, nothing workable came to mind that would enable them to take down the whole colony at once. Meanwhile, Neville was still staring blankly at the wall, not participating in the discussion.

"Neville?" Hermione asked, making her classmate startle and slowly refocus his gaze on her.

"Those plants you discussed with the Centaurs, did you think to ask them about my parents too?" he asked slowly.

"Yes, of course!" Hermione exclaimed before biting her lip, frowning. Had she actually mentioned them to Ambra? Of course she cared about Neville's parents too, but it was as if their suffering had faded into the background since they weren't on the same time limit as Narcissa Malfoy was. "Of course I include them in the calculations, Neville. I still have to test everything."

Neville looked at her, frowning, before lowering his gaze and busying himself with some cheese and crackers. It was clear that he didn't quite believe her.

"Basilisk," Harry suddenly exclaimed, almost spilling his Butterbeer. "That's it, the spiders are deathly afraid of Basilisks!"

"What, Potter, did you keep a spare one down in that cellar?" Draco asked somewhat pointedly.

"Well no but the venom is probably still there on the fangs unless Dumbledore had it cleared away," Harry explained. "We just have to go down there to check."

Ginny shuddered. "You really want to go back… there?" she asked in a small voice. "I still have nightmares about that place. Not as often anymore, but still."

Hermione thought back to that weird year, their second, Ginny's first, when they were hunting a Basilisk and she had spent months in the Infirmary, petrified. The mystery accidentally solved by two boys and their Petrified friend, trusting the wrong person, again, but making it out alive by sheer luck and phoenix intervention.

"Let's think about it and try to come up with something," Hermione said. "I think I'd like to go see that Basilisk but we must bring at least Professor Snape along."

To her surprise the others nodded and agreed, and the rest of the evening was spent on other subjects such as ribbing Harry about his newfound Slytherin girlfriend, asking Neville about his Herbology experiments and inevitably listening to the others prattle on about Quidditch.

~x~x~x~

She brought up Harry's Basilisk idea to Severus the next day as she was going through her research ideas in the lab. At first he seemed oddly reluctant to discuss it before going completely still for several long minutes.

"Blasted meddling old codger, that could have netted us a fortune and so many new avenues for research!" he suddenly exclaimed, pacing the living room floor. "Epona's cleansing must have removed it."

"What is it?" His outburst had startled her.

Severus closed his eyes and raked both hands through his hair, clutching his scalp as if holding his head together. She thought she could hear him count backwards from fifty in German or some similar-sounding language before he finally took a deep breath and looked at her again.

"Albus must have put a memory block on me so that I never thought to investigate that Basilisk afterwards. I would have gone down to harvest the body for ingredients but for some reason he hid it from my awareness. Why? It makes no sense!"

Hermione bit her lip and thought about it. "Do you think others were affected as well? Or did no one else consider it important?"

Severus shook his head slowly. "It might well have affected others but no one else would have had as much of a reason as I to go look at it. That said, yes we should go down there to check it although I have no idea how decayed Basilisk parts might affect the spiders. Summon Potter, I shall fetch Minerva as she ought to know what happens in her school."

"What, now?" Hermione almost squeaked.

He raised an eyebrow at her, all cool composure again. "No time like the present."

Hermione felt nervous flutters in her stomach but agreed and sent off her Patronus for Harry. Not long after, his stag came bounding through the wall, saying to meet up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

The ghost was luckily away somewhere else for the moment, Hermione had had enough of her company already in her second year when brewing Polyjuice. To her surprise, both Draco and Ginny there with Harry when she arrived.

"We were out by the Quidditch pitch when your message came," Harry said.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, we're coming too. I need to see the place again and Draco is curious about the Slytherin stuff."

Hermione felt guilty again for not having thought of Ginny's experiences in her first year. It must have been a horrific experience and in true English tradition Hermione suspected that no one had talked to her about it since, out of sight out of mind and all that. No wonder she wanted to revisit the place if she could. Soon Severus arrived with a harried-looking Headmistress in tow.

Professor McGonagall didn't seem very pleased at all. "Severus Snape, what is the meaning of this? You know very well that this place is off limits! And with students, too! Come out of there immediately! It's dangerous!"

"Calm down, Minerva," Severus began but the elder witch didn't listen to him and tried to pull Ginny out by her arm.

Hermione interrupted her tirade, trying to distract her. "Headmistress, did you hear about the latest fascinating research done in Charms?"

Professor McGonagall turned her attention to Hermione while Severus seemed to gesture to Harry to get on with it. "Yes, it was in the latest _Charms Today,_ I just finished the article, apparently you can enhance your water faucets to not only supply water but also … to… " She faltered when she saw Harry hissing at the tap which started to open.

"Yes?" the Headmistress was saying, frowning at Hermione. At least she had stopped pulling at Ginny.

"Confundo!" Severus hissed. The spell hit Professor McGonagall square in the back and had her swaying on her feet, staring at nothing.

"… to act as a portal to an underground dungeon," Hermione concluded.

Ginny and Draco went first down the large pipe, nodding at Harry who had warned them that there was a hard landing, and then Severus managed to half persuade, half push the Headmistress down the chute. He went after her and then Hermione was the one facing the gap and the steep drop.

"I hate water slides," she moaned to Harry.

She took a deep breath and jumped in. The steep drop had her stomach relocating to somewhere by her ears and she wasn't even able to draw breath to scream as she flew down the pipes before suddenly landing on the floor, cushioned by Draco with a charm to her backside's relief. The Headmistress was still Confunded, standing off to the side with Severus. Soon Harry came tumbling down the shaft and looked around. They were in a large hallway, all black rough-hewn stone, a couple of magical torches lighting up as they approached. The ceiling was high but that didn't help improve the atmosphere much, the place was still eerie and ominous. The air was damp and Hermione could hear water dripping somewhere.

"Yeah, right, it should be this way," Harry said and started off into the dark cavernous corridor.

The others followed, cautious to stay in the middle of the hallway as they walked. They soon came upon the shed Basilisk skin which looked huge and malevolent even in this form. Severus frowned as he inspected the skin but it seemed to be unusable as ingredients, being too old and desiccated. They passed the heap of rocks that Harry said was where Lockhart had tried to Obliviate them, and then they came up to the great door locked by snakes which slithered away at Harry's hissed command.

As soon as they passed into the next chamber, Professor McGonagall appeared to wake up.

"Oh, where am I?" she asked, blinking dazedly and noticing the rest of them there. "Why are you all here? Severus?"

"The Chamber of Secrets," he said. "You were under a compulsion by Albus that caused you to forget about this."

Professor McGonagall frowned but Severus filled in the gaps as they made their way deeper into the chamber. It was enormous, with huge snake heads lining the path towards the main chamber, lit from somewhere unseen with an eerie greenish glow. Hermione shivered and wasn't sure if it was from the cold damp air or from the mere atmosphere of the chamber. Ginny walked ahead of her with Draco, holding on tight to his arm, while Harry trailed behind them.

The Basilisk was indeed enormous. Most of the flesh seemed to have rotted away or been eaten by rats but the huge teeth were still there in its mouth. Severus frowned as he looked it over, calling at Hermione to come help him preserve what they could. Some of the skin could apparently be used, as well as some of the bones and the venom which was stored in glands behind its missing eyes.

The Headmistress helped them Transfigure some containers for carrying some of the parts, and watched them work. "So Albus made us forget about this? Severus, if he weren't already dead I'd kill him myself for this. What purpose could it have, to make us all forget about this place and this creature?"

Harry had joined Draco and Ginny over by the far end of the Chamber. As Hermione made her way to them, she heard Harry describe where he had found Ginny and fought the diary. The story made her shiver, what on earth had Professor Dumbledore been thinking? At least it wasn't as that test he had put them through in their first year, but still, he must have known?

The trek back up to the main levels of the Castle was uneventful if a little difficult with the basilisk parts. Professor McGonagall decided to call in the Unspeakables to check if anything else could be learned from the Chamber, such as if anything remained from Salazar Slytherin or if there were other secret chambers connected to it.

~x~x~x~

Hermione buried herself in Potions research with even more focus than earlier, causing her Master to occasionally have to physically restrain her from studying to get her to eat, shower and sleep on time. He was much more open with her now and seemed to enjoy having her around in the lab or sprawled somewhere in his quarters reading and making notes, but she hadn't stayed overnight since that day after their return from the Centaurs. Still, it was a relief to be allowed to steal a kiss or two occasionally, or just to spend an evening in silence in his quarters with some tea and a stack of books. Easter was still about a month away but they still needed to come up with a viable strategy for how to annihilate a colony of giant spiders in the middle of a forest without either burning the whole forest down or leaving too many of them alive.

Neville was the first to come up with something resembling a viable idea. They had been talking about pests in gardens and elsewhere since they had a problem with a gnome infestation in one of the greenhouses, and Hermione mentioned the rats and mice that had overrun Hagrid's hut earlier. To Hermione's surprise he brought up what she thought was a Muggle fable, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, which he explained was actually a wizard who lured away the children of the town to become servants, practically slaves, to the nearby Wizarding community.

She practically bounced to her feet, startling her friend. "Neville, that's it! We lure them away!" She was already starting to plot it, what would they need? What did Acromantulas like?

"What are you talking about? The Venomous Tentaculas?"

"No, the spiders in the Forest! I must go, see you later Neville, thanks a lot!"

She dashed off, leaving Neville looking somewhat confused, and ran down to the dungeons to talk to her Master.

~x~x~x~

Hermione felt her stomach clench as she stood in the Forbidden Forest next to a couple of Centaurs right by the sand pit where they were planning to contain the Acromantulas. She was responsible for making sure they didn't escape, having practised several shielding spells and various hexes, and the Centaurs would try to kill off any that strayed with arrows laced with poison containing small amounts of Basilisk venom. The day was overcast, damp and slightly chilly but at least it wasn't raining yet. A few bushes were sporting fresh green leaves but most of the larger trees hadn't yet bothered with their new foliage. Other Centaurs were off on the other side together with Severus, and yet others were scattered throughout the Forest on the way between the pit and the Acromantula lair. Severus had decided to test Madam Bones' offer as well and had asked her to provide some help, and so four Unspeakables in shimmery pale grey hooded robes had joined them.

Hagrid had left for France a few days earlier when the Easter break started, having been escorted to the Hogwarts Express by the Headmistress herself who had asked him to send her regards to Madame Maxime. She had even sent a delegation of house-elves around to his hut to see if there were any other dangerous animals there and to attempt a bit of spring cleaning. The house-elves had apparently been rather traumatised by it, one of them had claimed something undefined had bitten him on the nose and another had asked to be given clothes rather than having to go back to his hut.

Hermione and the others waited in tense silence. Ginny and Draco were in there somewhere too, mounted on brooms to assist with scouting, information relays and hexes at any spider that strayed, while Severus was going to follow behind them to ensure that the lair was clear. The Centaurs, Severus, Harry and Draco had the night before sent multiple scent bombs into and around their lair, were laced with potions that would make the Acromantulas less aggressive and more prone to persuasion. Harry was going to fly in as a peregrine falcon with a bundle of cloth soaked in the lure potion held in his talons, and then guide them to the clearing where Hermione and the others were waiting.

Soon she could hear some commotion in the Forest but still no spiders came through. Had something gone wrong? Someone was shouting something but she couldn't make out the words. Then a Centaur came galloping through the woods, one she didn't recognise.

"Incoming!" he shouted and nocked an arrow to his bow.

Suddenly Draco came shooting out from the trees, but something about him seemed off, his clothing was tattered and dirty and he had something behind him on the broom. As he got closer Hermione saw that Harry was there in his human form, looking rather worse for wear. Draco quickly dropped him off by Hermione and took off again for the Forest. Ambra quickly made her way over to them and handed him a bowl of water.

"Harry, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Harry blinked slowly and shook his head as he tried to focus on her. "Spiders everywhere," he said with a shudder and drank some water. "I made it through the camp with the lure and managed to round all of them up and get them to start moving this way, but then I guess I got careless and one of them caught me with their net. Flying with that bundle of rags was harder than I expected and I couldn't dodge properly. Ginny and Draco dove in immediately, Ginny took the bundle and flew off like she was on fire and Draco managed to free me from the net."

Suddenly Ginny came swishing through the trees on her broom, the bundle of lure-soaked rags clutched in one arm. "They're coming! Be ready!" she called, banked sharply and returned the way she had come. There was a hissing, rustling noise and the first few spiders appeared, mandibles clicking as they tried to see where Ginny had gone. Hermione shuddered at the sight. They were so big, and there were way too many of them. One of them suddenly noticed the onlookers on the other side of the sand pit from the spiders, and started waving its front legs in agitation as it advanced on the pit.

Severus had prepared other bundles with the lure potion, a few were placed in the bottom of the sand pit while Hermione held a few others in reserve. Soon the first spider got a whiff of it and eagerly clambered into the pit to sink its fangs into the bundle, followed by its friends who started fighting over the same scraps. A few of them bit each other while the Centaurs started pouring down sedatives into the pit that caused them to fall asleep, while a few other Centaurs were killing off some of them with near clinical precision using their bows and wooden arrows laced with poison. Seeing that made her a bit queasy but she told herself there wasn't any better option.

More and more of them arrived and clambered eagerly into the pit to join their comrades, slowly turning it into something from a horror story. She looked away but then at the corner of her eye she saw Ember and Finnuala coming closer from the other side of the Forest. They stopped near the edge to look down on the spiders, and as in slow motion Hermione saw Finnuala move closer, closer still, and one spider, hidden from the foal by a large rock and apparently not sedated enough, saw a chance and flung a strand of strong silk at her. With a shriek the young filly fell into the pit where other spiders were quick to clamber up to her.

"No!" Hermione shrieked and without thinking she jumped down after the young Centaur. She got caught up in spider limbs, silk and other bits she didn't want to think about, and threw hexes at every spider that dared to approach her.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted from above but she didn't have time to think as she struggled closer to Finnuala who shrieked in terror as the spiders hissed at her.

She sliced off legs and even sent a Reducto blasting a path through the mass of hissing spiders but it was slow going. She vaguely registered Harry and a few Centaurs assisting her from above by keeping them off her back, and after way too long she was next to the foal who was struggling against the strong spider silk.

"Calm down, Finnuala, I'll help you!"

Another spider approached, hissing and clacking, shooting silk at both of them. Hermione slashed at the strands but some of it stuck in her hair and on Finnuala's coat. More and more spiders approached while Hermione tried to clear away all the silk, Harry blasted all he could reach, but soon there were too many of them. She desperately cast a Solaris charm that blasted the whole pit in blindingly white light, causing all the spiders to freeze up, and then quickly shot a Mobilicorpus at Finnuala once she was free from the strands that held her down even if some still remained in her coat and around her legs. Getting the foal up and out of the pit was trickier than she thought and she struggled to lift her up.

"Here, take her!" she shouted at Harry who added his own spell to hers just as the spiders woke up from their daze. She couldn't both lift the filly and keep the spiders off herself at the same time but she couldn't let go of the Centaur or she'd fall back into the pit. Soon mandibles were clicking and the first strands of silk came hissing through the air to land in her hair.

Suddenly from nowhere she was swept up in a flurry of black, a strong arm grasping her around the waist. Severus pulled her onto the broom in front of him and swept her up out of the pit while blasting off some of the silk with a quick wandless Incendio. He didn't set her down until they were well behind the Centaurs guarding the pit.

"What … how …" she gasped when she had managed to shakily dismount the broom, not letting go of him. She was still running on pure adrenaline and panic but suspected it would soon wear off.

"I felt your fear through the bond and borrowed Draco's broom. What were you doing?"

"Finnuala fell in," she murmured, knees suddenly refusing to keep her upright, causing her to slump against his chest.

"Please refrain from doing things like that in the future without advance notice, you almost gave me a heart attack," he murmured against her hair, clutching her tight. She could feel his rapid heartbeat through the layers of cloth. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before relaxing his hold a little.

"Hermione!" someone called and she heard hoofbeats rapidly approaching. As she looked up she saw Ambra and Ember trotting up to her, while Harry shifted into his falcon form again and took to the skies to rejoin the hunt.

"Thank you so much," Ambra said and took Hermione's hand in hers. "I thought the spiders would have one more victim before we were rid of them."

Severus broke in. "Ambra, would you escort Hermione back to your camp to rest?"

"I don't need to rest," Hermione protested. They weren't done yet, she needed to continue.

"Yes, Apprentice, you shall," he told her sternly but not unkindly, cupping her cheek with his hand.

Ambra nodded and gestured at Ember who trotted off towards where Finnuala lay, still tangled up in silk strands. It seemed as if a few of the stallions were preparing something with two long wooden poles and a large canvas tarpaulin, forming an A shape with the tarp in between the legs of the poles. One of the stallions lashed the pointed end to his back in a makeshift harness, making a travois, while the other one hoisted Finnuala up on top of the tarp.

Ambra turned her gaze to Severus and Hermione again. "Master of Potions, as a member of the Forbidden Forest Centaur colony I hold your vow fulfilled by the actions of yourself and your Apprentice. Your honour is more than upheld and the stars will have a new song to tell future generations of us. By my honour and the stars, I name you and Hermione Apprentice of Potions as friends of our colony, that we may both prosper and benefit from such an alliance."

Severus bowed his head at Ambra. "I thank you, Ambra of the Forbidden Forest. The task is not yet complete, I must return to see it through."

"I will personally take Hermione back to our camp. May the stars guide your aim."

Hermione had listened to the exchange in silence, sure that something large had just happened but not exactly understanding it. Ambra turned to face her directly.

"For saving one of ours, I have named you friend of the Centaurs. For saving my daughter, I will gladly carry you on my back."

Epona clapped her hands in delight and lifted Hermione up onto her mother's back, despite Hermione's protests. They set off towards the camp at a brisk walk which Hermione was grateful for as her legs and arms felt terribly weak and she wasn't sure she could hold on if the mare started going faster.

She was almost asleep by the time they made it back to camp although it couldn't have taken more than half an hour. The stallion who dragged Finnuala had apparently managed a quicker pace, and Ember had tagged along with him to ensure her sister didn't fall off. When they arrived Hermione was quickly seated on top of a pile of blankets in front of a fireplace, another large blanket was draped around her and a bowl of hot herbal tea was thrust in her hands. Many of the Centaurs came by to touch her shoulder or hair as she sat by the fire, gazing into the flames. Ember came to join her, saying that Finnuala would be fine. The company of her newfound friend made Hermione relax and soon she was able to eat a bit and talk about other things.

The skies had begun to darken when the others arrived, the stallions triumphant, Severus impassive as always, and Draco, Ginny and Harry looking a bit apprehensive at the Centaurs before gradually relaxing. They were all invited to the fire and offered food although both Ginny and Harry declined the barbecued hog, saying that they'd had enough of the smell of smoked meat for the day. The Unspeakables had stayed behind to wrap up the extermination. A few of the spider eggs found in the nest would be taken back and reared at the DoM but otherwise the whole nest was wiped out. Hermione shuddered when thinking about it but still couldn't see a better option, the Acromantulas were not in any way native to Scotland and it wasn't as if Borneo wanted them back. At least they'd get plenty of venom for potions, she thought grimly. Severus and the Centaurs would share what they could salvage, granting some to the Unspeakables as well.

Hermione looked for her Master and found him in conversation with Ronan and Bane. As if he sensed her attention he turned to look at her and soon disengaged himself from the conversation. She felt exhausted after the stress and excitement of the day and didn't have the energy for too many people at once.

"Can we go back now?" she asked him quietly.

"Are you certain? The Centaurs have offered shelter to all of us for the night if you wish."

She shook her head. "No, tonight I just want to stay with you. And a shower."

He nodded, and after saying their goodbyes he wrapped her in his arms and Apparated both of them to the Hogwarts gates.

~x~x~x~

The shower was divine and she was glad to rinse the day's smells from her hair and body. Winky brought her fresh clothes from her room but she stole one of Severus' t-shirts to sleep in, a ratty but very comfy one with a faded Led Zeppelin print, and she sighed in contentment as she snuggled in under his bed covers while he got ready for the night.

"Love you," she murmured and curled up next to him.

She felt him go very still and was rather surprised herself at what she had just said, but then again, why worry? It was true after all. He sought her mouth for a kiss and held her tight, pouring everything he couldn't yet say into it, or so it felt. She decided to tell him that more often, suspecting that he hadn't heard those words much at all before.

"You make me feel safe," she told him and turned around to let him spoon her again. It had quickly become her favourite sleeping position.

They woke up late the next day. He got up before her but after a little while longer she rose, stole his black velvet bathrobe and padded out into his sitting room. Severus was already seated in his customary armchair, a cup of tea on the side table and the latest issue of Potions Monthly in his lap. He had put on a white shirt and black slacks and looked casually formal and quite delicious.

"Good morning," he said quietly. "Winky will bring us breakfast unless you would rather brave the Great Hall?"

"Morning," she said, smiling at him and seating herself in the sofa next to his chair. Winky soon popped in with a tray full of everything from boiled eggs to toast, marmalade, various cheeses and yoghurt, beaming with pride.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked as she finished the last of the toast. "Anything that needs doing?"

He looked up from the Potions journal and slowly a smirk spread over his lips. "Well, Apprentice, since you ask what needs to be done you could always brew some more Calming Draughts for the Infirmary, check the inventory in our store rooms and prepare slugs for next week. Or you could join me here in my chair so that I may kiss you senseless."

She blushed and all but launched herself on him, attaching herself firmly to his mouth and wrapping her arms around his head, seated sideways across his lap.

"Mmmh I take that as a yes," he murmured and snaked a hand under her robe.

His hands roamed over her back and sides over her — his — t-shirt, igniting her, fire slowly spreading throughout her body. Her breasts started to ache for his touch just as he snaked a hand around to her front, undid the cord of the robe and pulled it off her shoulders. He sought out her lips for another kiss while his hands found her breasts, stroking, kneading, pinching her nipples. She groaned in his mouth and suspected her knickers were soaked already.

"Might I entice you to relocate to the bedroom?" he said huskily.

That sounded like an excellent idea so she nodded and squealed when he quickly stood up and hitched an arm behind her knees and the other behind her shoulders, carrying her to the bedroom to deposit her on the bed. Pulling him down to her she sought his mouth while her hands were busy with his multitude of buttons. She didn't get very far before he Banished the t-shirt and descended on her breasts, eagerly licking and sucking them, kissing the sensitive underside and tweaking the other nipple with deft fingers. She Banished his shirt too for good measure but he didn't let her reciprocate, instead moving lower, kissing her stomach, lower again, her knickers disappeared somewhere along the road and she didn't care one bit as long as he would just continue. His tongue hot on her clit, varying pressure and pattern, one finger slowly inserted, then another. He started tickling a spot high inside her and she exploded, back arching.

She came down from her peak, her breathing slowly evening out. He regarded her with a very satisfied male smirk and shuffled up to lay beside her again, his erection poking her thigh. She wanted more, she wanted all of him. He kissed her slowly and she moved to pull off his underpants.

"Now, Severus, I want you," she whispered to him.

"Little witch, are you sure?" He frowned, seemingly uncertain, yet the heat in his gaze made her heart beat faster.

She pulled him down for a kiss, trying to pour everything into it, heat pooling between her legs as he groaned into her mouth and sought out her tongue with his own. He moved over her, settling between her legs, before he reached for his wand and muttered a contraceptive charm. She could feel the flutters of it deep in her belly before he positioned his bulbous head right by her entrance, rubbing up and down to cover it with her juices. Finally he pushed inside of her, slowly, gradually, stretching, filling her.

"Oh!"

She looked up at him, wide-eyed, surprised by the intensity of it. She felt … full, in a much more intense way than by his fingers and tongue alone. It didn't exactly hurt and it wasn't as if she had any hymen to break after those two deliciously wicked fingers of his but it was still surprisingly different. His breath in her hair as he seemed to fight to keep still, to let her get used to the feeling. His arms encircled her, her own around his neck, and she reached up for a kiss. He started to move, slowly at first, and she followed his rhythm, together, gradually building up to something that went beyond both of them, losing herself, becoming lost in him, in their combined rhythm. He shifted slightly, changing the angle so that he ground his pelvic bone into her, causing delicious pressure on her clit, and soon the tension and rhythm had her howling again as she came. That triggered his own release and he tensed, grimacing as he came deep inside her, thrusting erratically.

He crumbled down on top of her, spent, heart racing. The weight of him on her felt comforting, secure. Home. She would never let this wizard go.

"I love you," she whispered to him again and kissed his cheek, arms around his shoulders and neck. "Mine."

"Yours." He kissed her gently.


	23. Knowing Me, Knowing You

**Knowing Me, Knowing You**

His Apprentice had been very busy ever since Easter, looking at various avenues for the potion for Narcissa under his supervision and guidance since they were on such a tight timeline. She had spent an awful lot of time with Longbottom and the Lovegood girl in the greenhouses, and also with the Centaurs that she had befriended. He had sensed that she was onto something and as such hadn't bothered her too much with routine tasks although he did make her assist with teaching a few of the first- and second-year classes so that she could understand that side of the Mastery. Draco had helped out as well, brewing bases for potions testing and also doing some of the routine brewing for the Infirmary to free up their time. She did have some new ideas for the potion and claimed her parents had helped out as well, making comparisons with Muggle techniques and medications and helping her obtain even more papers and books to cross-reference, on everything from psychology to chemistry and New Age pamphlets.

That was one of his few remaining worries, other than the whole moving-and-starting-a-brand-new-business thing. Hermione had asked that he and Septima would meet with her parents, and he felt as anxious as a teenager when thinking about it. Not that he'd had any first-hand experience with being a teenager meeting his girlfriend's parents, but he assumed it wasn't far off from what he felt.

Their newfound more physical relationship occasionally left him breathless both literally and figuratively. Since he had never been in a proper longer-term relationship with a woman he didn't have much to compare his situation with, but the strength of his need for her preferably naked in his bed was astounding. Even more astonishing was that she seemed just as eager as he was, often initiating by sliding up next to him and more or less subtly insinuating herself onto his lap. He'd made sure she was on the contraceptive potion and even started taking it himself just to be sure. Although she grumbled about it she had agreed to sleep in her own bed during the weekdays so that Minerva wouldn't raise too much of a fuss, but the weekends were theirs, and some other random stolen moments when one or the other couldn't resist anymore.

As for himself, when looking back to who he had been a year ago he must admit even to himself that he was actually, for perhaps the first time in his life, happy. He had found an equilibrium within himself, a new outlook, and was ready to tackle the new challenges that starting a business would bring. Thinking back, he was also no longer the man who had propositioned his star pupil in such an outrageous way, never really expecting her to accept and most certainly not anticipating where it would lead them. Although he hadn't seen it then, he had been rather damaged by the war and the strain of serving under Albus for so long, plus the stress of serving the Dark Lord once he had returned. Epona had helped heal him but he suspected that the biggest influence was actually Hermione, her complete acceptance of him, her company — and also their Pensieve sessions reviewing his memories of the final events. He'd also laid the memory of his parents to rest by moving out of Spinner's End. There wasn't much of value to keep from the old house apart from his books and potions equipment so with the help of Winky he was done in an afternoon. To his surprise Draco had asked to buy the property, saying he would renovate it and either rent or sell it to a Wizarding family. The Galleons from that sale helped with the start-up costs for the new business which he had decided to name _SPS Potions_ for simplicity after taking way too long to try to come up with something better.

~x~x~x~

One weekend at the end of May he took Hermione along to Prince Hall again to oversee the work that Grumpy and Tinsel had been doing. Tinsel had mainly focused on the interior of the Hall which now looked fresh and inviting. The chandelier sparkled, the walls were cream white with cherry or walnut door posts and other details, lush area rugs covered the waxed walnut floors, and the wooden furniture pieces almost shone. The bedrooms had been renovated and carefully checked for odd wards and hexes, and his own master suite was just perfect for himself and Hermione should she wish to stay with him, which he fervently hoped. It took up the entire first floor of the wing closest to the Potions lab They had a large bedroom with a large en-suite bathroom and a walk-in closet, and a most deliciously soft four-poster black bed. Across the room was the door to their private sitting room with a fireplace, a comfortable deep blue velvet sofa and two armchairs, a small dining table by the window and a door out to a large private balcony overlooking the lake and gardens. The sitting room connected to the main hallway but also to two offices that faced the front lawn, Hermione's in the corner of the building and his own nearer to the main hallway.

He had already moved most of his book collection over from Hogwarts with some pieces in the library on the ground floor and the more dangerous pieces secured by strong wards either in his office or in the potions lab. Hermione had also started moving some things over, including books which she was now busy sorting and integrating with his own, carefully selecting where they should go. He left her to it and went outside to check the status of the other buildings and gardens.

The potions lab was basically finished and he had started a small batch of Dreamless Sleep that would fetch a good price from a less discerning apothecary, as well as a large batch of Calming Draught for Hogwarts or a more respectable apothecary. He was already thinking that he might have to hire someone to help out with admin work and routine brewing so that he didn't have to do all of it himself, but that would have to wait until he was more settled. At least Minerva had said that he could ask the school owls if up to a dozen of them wanted to relocate, so he had at least that bit covered.

Winky had tagged along this time and had been very anxious about meeting the other elves, but it seemed that she quickly accepted Tinsel as her Matriarch, and the other elves in turn seemed to accept her as one of them. Grumpy took her on a tour of the place before Tinsel commanded her to help prepare lunch which Winky eagerly agreed to.

He had invited Aemiliana for lunch in the sunroom overlooking the gardens so that she and Hermione could get to know one another over some sandwiches and a light soup. The old witch had stayed true to her word and stayed out of his way in her cottage but he suspected that she knew of everything that was going on in the buildings anyway, one way or other.

The meeting was tense at first but after a while the conversation flowed better between the two witches while he was content just to observe for the most part. He hadn't thought about it earlier but realised that Aemiliana couldn't have met many Muggleborns, or Muggles for that matter.

"I think both Eileen and Norene would have liked you, Hermione," Aemiliana said once they had finished the soup and she had asked about Hermione's Apprenticeship.

"Thank you," she answered, blushing.

Severus finally spoke. "There is one other thing we must discuss, Aemiliana, and I think you know what and why."

His one remaining relative nodded slowly. "If you have any accusations to make, Severus, please state them directly."

"So that you may claim plausible deniability to the rest?" His eyebrow rose in challenge. "Let me just start then by laying the murder of Iodocus Prince at your feet."

The old witch laughed sharply but didn't appear surprised. "Fine, I shall tell you the sordid tales of Prince Hall to appease your curiosity. Let me start elsewhere, however." She gestured for Tinsel to refill her tea cup and gazed out over the lake as she gathered her thoughts. Then her eyes focused on his, black meeting black. "My brother Thaddeus was not a very nice man, Severus. He was cruel to those he deemed beneath him, which was most people, and ruthless in his business deals. A bit like the Malfoys without the good looks and bottomless purse. I suspect that he drove one of our brothers to suicide while the other one turned into an alcoholic. His children in turn, then, Brennus who was your grandfather and Iodocus as the younger brother, were always encouraged to compete with each other for his affection and anything else they might want. Iodocus was terribly jealous when Brennus married Norene Rosier, and Eileen quickly learned to stay away from him as she grew up. When Eileen was about twelve, Brennus died in an odd accident while he and Iodocus were out hunting Griffins. That was what Iodocus claimed at the time but I learned the truth later during his drunken ramblings, he wanted his older brother out of the way so that he could be the next in line for the Lord title. As you know, that happened during the final days of the first war against Riddle when my brother was killed in a skirmish."

Severus nodded. Although it was sad to hear it being confirmed it wasn't unexpected, exactly. He had known Iodocus from the Death Eater meetings, the man had been jealous of other people's success and always tried to boast about things that weren't his achievements.

"Yes, I admit it, I tricked Iodocus into a trap that had him killed by Aurors. My intention was for him to get caught but I must admit I didn't mind that outcome overly much. He was very difficult to live with, especially after Norene's death twelve years ago. She wasted away with grief, missing her husband and as I understand it now also her daughter that she had been made to forget, and the way she was cut off from her family of origin."

Hermione gasped and nibbled her lip again. It seemed that he had managed to condition himself to want to kiss her when she did that rather than managing to wean her off the habit. It took him a moment to refocus on the discussion.

"Aemiliana, I would have your word that you will never hurt me or mine, on this estate or elsewhere."

She laughed, somewhat tiredly. "Severus, I'm not a threat to you or Hermione or anyone else you bring here. I'm happy to see life breathed into these halls again and that you're restarting the potions business. If it makes you calmer I'll take a vow on it, not that it would make much of a difference. I've lived a full life already. I'd like to see the Hall populated by small raven-haired children one day so that I can spoil them and teach them which bannisters are best for sliding down, and where the cookie jar is hidden."

He saw Hermione blush at that and felt rather flustered himself, but pushed on. "Even so, if I am to allow you to spend time with us here in the Hall rather than just letting you rot away up in the cottage I want some reassurance of it."

Aemiliana sighed but soon nodded and smiled at him. "You are indeed a Prince, Severus. Very well, I'll do it."

She stood up and pulled out her wand. "I, Aemiliana Lileas Prince, vow to never wilfully harm anyone who isn't hostile to Severus Prince Snape or those he holds as friends. This I swear, on my honour and my magic." The oath swirled around her and settled in her skin, a shimmery haze of magic.

"You have my thanks, Aemiliana. If you would excuse us? We have a lot of work to do."

"Certainly, Severus. Again, thank you for coming here and reviving this old building. You're most definitely the right wizard for this estate, the name and the business. Do let me know if I can be of any help, I don't have much to do during the days after all."

He nodded at her and walked her out to the front door where they parted, Hermione and Severus for the lab and Aemiliana to the cottage.

The rest of the day was spent on inventory and orders, for him, and on Arithmancy calculations for the Narcissa trial, for her. She was checking the final calculations for the potion they would try next, making the final few tweaks to the recipe so that it would have the best chance at working as intended. From the way she was completely absorbed in the swirling symbols it seemed that she was on the right track.

Winky and Tinsel popped in with a slightly louder than polite crack, causing Severus to look up from his stacks of parchment and various notebooks. Hermione had barely moved from her calculations although her notes now covered the full table and were spilling down on the floor.

"Master is to eats now! Please!" Winky said nervously, tugging at one of her ears. She had quickly donned the same black tunic as Tinsel, happy to get a proper elf uniform with a monogram and all.

He rose stiffly and stretched while casting a Tempus charm which confirmed that the hour was already late.

"Hermione, come, the elves seem to insist we should eat."

She looked up, confused. "Oh, really? I … I guess I lost track again. Let me just finish off this thought please."

While he secured everything for the night and ensured that all the wards were in place she was scribbling furiously until her quill finally came to a halt.

"I will takes you," Tinsel declared and promptly Apparated both of them to the Master suite sitting room where a small steak waited for them with potatoes and a salad at the dining table.

"Thank you," he said, suddenly ravenous. Hermione didn't look much better off either, and they made short work of the food.

He vaguely heard Tinsel ask Winky, "Is Master always being this stubborn?" when the elves left, but didn't let it worry him too much. It was, after all, true.

~x~x~x~

"I rather presumed that you would share this bed with me," he said as she slowly inspected the bedroom, suddenly concerned he had completely misjudged things, as usual. "Or should I ask Tinsel to set up another bedroom for you?"

She spun around to face him, looking worried. "No, I mean, yes, I want to stay with you. If you want me to?"

He covered the distance in a few long strides and took her in his arms. "I most definitely want you, Hermione."

She snaked her arms around his necks and pulled him down for a kiss which he eagerly complied with. Meanwhile he shuffled them closer to the bed until he was able to topple both of them on top of it, still kissing her. She actually growled with impatience over his many buttons before wandlessly banishing all of his clothes to somewhere else.

"Hmm, all of a sudden it got cold," he said between kisses. "Whatever is a wizard to do when he finds himself cold? Ah, perhaps there might be a witch around that might be of use?" He murmured a quick charm that left her equally bare and rolled over on his back with her on his chest. "Ahh, that's much better." He snaked a hand between their bodies, seeking her most private spot, wanting to hear her moan his name again, again, again.

She gasped at his touch but her hips rocked towards him. "Oh, but what's a witch to do when she is cold?"

He pulled her head down slightly to nip at her neck while his fingers worked her clit, already wet from her juices. "She should work for it," he murmured in her ear and lined up his hard erection with her entrance. She gasped again and started rubbing herself all over the tip, causing him to groan.

In a quick motion she impaled herself on his shaft. "Severus…" she breathed and arched her back, causing her pert breasts to pop into his line of sight. He eagerly latched on to them with both hands, kneading gently, rolling her nipples between his fingers. She was beautiful there above him, slim and wild-haired and utterly captivating, the mere fact that she had voluntarily seated herself on his cock enough to drive him mad with desire. Hesitantly she started moving, trying different angles and rhythms before she seemed to find a pace she liked. He moved one hand to her hip to steady her and let his other thumb find her clit while she moaned and put her hands down next to his head to steady herself, which fortuitously put her breasts in reach of his mouth. That was enough to push her over the edge and she came hard against his hand and cock, moaning his name.

"Beautiful," he murmured as she slumped against his chest, and rolled them over. He kissed her nose, her forehead and her mouth and set a gentle pace until she had recovered enough to respond to his kisses.

"Severus…"

Her hips started rocking up to meet him again and he shifted the angle a little before picking up the pace, seeking that rhythm that drove both of them mad, and quite quickly her breathing changed

"Come for me," he told her, coaxed her, begged her, and she did again with a howl, internal muscles clenching so tight that he had no chance to withstand it.

She kissed his temple as he came back down to Earth.

"I love you," she said.

His heart swelled with pride and adoration and wonder and, yes, love, but somehow the words got stuck in his throat still. He held her tight instead even as he rolled off her, a quick spell taking care of the worst of the mess.

~x~x~x~

It felt very odd to finish his last few weeks of classes. Odder still the way the students actually reached out to him once they knew he was leaving, thanking him for teaching, for the war efforts. Some of the Slytherins had gone a bit teary-eyed during the House meeting he had held where he had introduced Septima as his replacement Head of House, and he had even promised to show up occasionally since he would anyway deliver potions to the Infirmary, and that they could write him if they needed to. The war years had been rough for many of them, and many a student had lost a parent either to incarceration or death. He had vowed to himself that he would do what he could to ensure that not another Riddle would grow up in Slytherin House, or in the other Houses, come to think of it. Neither himself nor Harry James Potter had been much better off, and the latter was after all the Chosen One, much good that it did him.

Yes. Potter seemed to have learned, to have grown up a bit. He seemed a bit more stable now, he had even sought out Severus voluntarily to try to make amends for all those years of mutual hatred that had been carefully nourished by Albus. He had also reconciled with Hermione, clearly taking responsibility for his actions and having learned better coping skills and shedding some of the hatred and anger that he had carried all those years. Severus had even admitted that the brat had been rather useful during the Acromantula raid.

~x~x~x~

The Headmistress had invited him and his Apprentice for a special occasion over Midsummer's Eve which her Scottish clan apparently traditionally celebrated with bonfires and lots of whisky. They Apparated together to the location Minerva had showed them in a Pensieve, her summer home right by a river south of Edinburgh, a small Wizarding cottage with a large plot of land and a few magical neighbours.

"Severus, Miss Granger, welcome!" Minerva approached them and waved a floating tray of champagne flutes over towards them. She wore nicer dress robes than he'd ever seen on her, full-length pale grey silk layered with shimmery lace, and long lace sleeves that widened at the elbows. When she turned to greet someone else he started to get suspicious as she wasn't wearing any footwear. He spotted some Hogwarts colleagues, Kingsley, Remus and Tonks, a few people he didn't recognise but that had the bearing of a McGonagall, and then when he saw Moody he was convinced of the nature of the occasion. The man was decked out in a slate grey frock coat with a silver pattern coupled with wide linen trousers that nearly but not quite hid his lack of footwear.

"Minerva, might I offer you my congratulations?" he said.

She smiled at him and looked happier and younger than in many years. "Thank you, Severus. I was going to ask, would you consent to being my witness?"

He bowed his head. "Certainly, it would be my honour."

She playfully swatted his arm. "Ach, come off it, we both know you hate ceremonies. I shall hold you to it anyway. Oh, I must greet my old aunt, I'll see you around."

Hermione bit her lip, frowning. "What was that about?"

"You shall see soon enough," he said with a smirk, refusing to give away someone else's secrets. They soon found Amelia Bones in the crowd and she was just about to update them on the latest news from the DoM when Kingsley stepped up on a raised dais in front of the river and asked for silence.

"Friends, friends of friends, might I have your attention please?" he called, his voice easily carrying across the lawn with the help of some strategic charms. "We are gathered here today to witness the handfasting of two rather special individuals. Please make way for our happy couple!"

Music started playing, some kind of wedding march, and Severus saw Filius directing his charmed instruments near where Kingsley was standing. Minerva and Moody came walking down the lawn from the cottage, her hand looped through his arm. He was trying to look dignified while she was smiling as they walked up on the dais to stand in front of Kingsley, facing each other and with their hands joined right-to-right and left-to-left. After the first formal questions the couple exchanged vows and their hands got bound together in an intricate weave, first around their left hands, for the present, and then their right hands, for their future. The first white ribbon was tied around Minerva's left wrist and promptly turned black, signifying strength, wisdom and empowerment, while the one around Moody's left wrist turned yellow, for attraction, charm, confidence and balance. The one around Minerva's right wrist turned pink for love, unity, truth and happiness, while Moody's right wrist got wrapped in dark blue for a safe journey, longevity and strength. All in all, it seemed as if magic thought they were a good match. They shared a reasonably chaste kiss which led to the bonds fusing with them, mingling their magic and sealing the rite, before Moody turned towards their audience.

"Thank you, all," he said. "I'm now the proud wearer of the name McGonagall as well."

Everyone cheered and started clapping their hands, Filius playing a raucous Scottish jig with his enchanted band.

"We're not done yet!" Kingsley announced and asked for silence.

To everyone's surprise, Potter walked up to the dais as the newly bound couple held out a hand each to him, forming a triangle. Kingsley asked Harry the formal questions about free will and so on and then went straight to the point.

"Do you wish to be bound to this couple, Alastor Moody-McGonagall and Minerva McGonagall, as their son in magic and by law?"

"I do so wish," Potter answered.

Now not even Kingsley could stop the surprised murmurs of the onlookers. He allowed it for a minute before raising his hands to beckon for silence.

"Do you, Minerva McGonagall, wish to take on Harry James Potter as your son? To guide and love him, to help and shelter him, to nurture and teach him?"

"I do so wish," Minerva stated clearly.

"Do you, Alastor Moody-McGonagall wish to take on Harry James Potter as your son? To guide and protect him, to lead and to love him, to challenge and teach him?"

"I do so wish," Moody said.

Kingsley cast an incantation over the trio that caused a swirling vortex of magic to rise in the middle of their circle before it widened to encompass them, then shrinking in on itself and disappearing.

"It is done, you are now Harry James McGonagall Potter, recognised by law and magic as the son of Minerva McGonagall and Alastor Moody-McGonagall. Congratulations to all three of you!"

Filius started up his enchanted band again and a few Hogwarts house-elves popped in with tables laden with food and more bottles of champagne as everyone started mingling. Severus made his way to Kingsley to sign the official documents together with Amelia as the other witness, she had made her public re-appearance some time after Christmas and was now back at the Ministry also in an official capacity. Meanwhile, he saw Hermione running over to Harry, hugging him tight before talking to Alastor and Minerva who both looked happier than he had ever seen them. Severus walked up to them at a more sedate pace and offered the boy his hand.

"Congratulations, Potter. You made a good choice for a family. Make them proud."

"Thank you, sir, I plan to."

They spent the evening in the company of friends, Hermione never far from his side. Although he usually hated parties and big gatherings, Minerva's wedding feast felt relaxed and inviting, letting them drift as they pleased between drinks and food, music and conversation. Hermione even managed to coax him to dance with her. She melded into him as they moved together, nearly as one, and he had to restrain himself to behave so that he wouldn't start something inappropriate right there in view of those that still were his colleagues.

 **-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N:** As you can probably tell, we're approaching the end! A few chapters to wrap up various loose ends remain. Thanks for following along!

By the way, I couldn't resist any longer, I'm starting another fic as well, An Unexpected Otter. Hohum.


	24. The Whisper Of Her Wings

**The Whisper Of Her Wings**

Most of the fifth- and seventh-years were starting to look frazzled and hollow-eyed as the OWLs and NEWTs were approaching. Hermione had tried to study Transfiguration in the library for easy access to the reference books but it was simply too crowded and too many others were trying to ask her questions about various subjects, to Madam Pince's disapproval. She gave up, surprised that it was dinner time already.

"Hey Hermione," someone said and sat down next to her at the Gryffindor table.

"Hi Lavender," she said, looking up from her Charms textbook that she'd selected as light reading to go with her meal.

"How's Snape treating you?" the blonde girl asked and loaded her plate with potatoes and a few slices of steak.

"Oh, it's going well," she said vaguely. Unfortunately Hermione couldn't stop a blush from rising on her cheeks when she thought of exactly what was going well, and how well it was going.

Lavender, sharp-eyed as always when it came to gossip, didn't miss a thing. "Really?" she asked, a slow smile soon widening into a grin. "It's going _that_ well? You and Snape?"

Hermione glared at her classmate. "Look, Lavender, I don't want your assumptions and insinuations spread across the whole school or plastered all over the Prophet, alright?"

Lavender looked serious, for once. "Right, sorry Hermione. I get it, I won't blab. Promise. That's not why I came looking for you anyway. Care for a walk after dinner?"

"Alright."

They walked the same tour around the lake as half a year earlier, but now early summer was in full bloom and the air definitely held the promise of warmth and sunshine and a future free of both Dark Lords and exams.

"You heard about me and George I guess?" Lavender said, breaking the silence.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, congratulations. The twins are nice if you can stand them pranking you at breakfast all the time."

Lavender smiled at that soon had Hermione gasping for breath after laughing too hard when the blonde witch recounted the twins' breakfast prank wars, involving charmed cereal, coffee that made your ears whistle _London Bridge Is Falling Down,_ and that time Lavender had to spend two days speaking in iambic pentameter after drinking from the wrong glass of juice in the morning.

"I tried to tell Mrs Weasley about Ron but she's still not really listening. Has she always been like that?"

Hermione nodded. Mrs Weasley had always seemed to have a very firm opinion on who her children were, and didn't listen when they tried to deviate from that norm. Both Ginny and Ron had struggled to figure out who they were outside their mother's influence, and she suspected the other Weasley sons were also affected. Bill, for choosing a wife that his mother didn't agree with, Charlie who hid his boyfriend from his family and stayed away to not have to listen to her nagging about a wife and children, the twins who were always seen as a disappointment for not becoming Prefects and for spreading chaos even when that led to them being very successful in their business. And Percy, who had chosen to distance himself from his family and still was seen as an outsider even if he had been let back into the fold again.

Molly Weasley had sent Hermione a letter a few weeks after Easter, asking for forgiveness for her outburst over Christmas and stating that Hermione was of course always welcome back to the Burrow. Hermione wasn't sure what to think about it. The fact that she had taken several months to send it didn't exactly speak in Mrs Weasley's favour, and neither did the fact that she had heard from Ginny about what had happened during their Easter lunch at the Burrow, to which Hermione hadn't been invited. Apparently George had asked if Lavender could come but Mrs Weasley had claimed that significant others would only be welcome if they had a ring on their finger, which neatly stopped both Draco and Lavender from attending, but apparently Angelina was allowed to come anyway. When the twins had noticed that, they left with Angelina and Ginny before lunch had even started, and they had instead spent the rest of the day in the Weasley twins' apartment above their shop, Draco and Lavender as well.

"So, care to tell me what's up with you and Snape?" Lavender asked. They'd made it halfway around the lake and were looking out over the glittering waters, the castle standing tall and proud on the cliffs above it.

Hermione bit her lip, uncertain. "Lavender, honestly, can I really trust you not to talk? I mean, we don't have the best track record and I don't want rumours everywhere."

The other witch nodded. "I know, I'm sorry. Spending time with the twins and hearing them talk about things they did for the Order has made me understand how bad it can get if you spread gossip. They've told me things I'm not sharing with anyone else, not even with Parvati and Padma even though we're building a business together. I know Fred and George like you and think you're some kind of almost sister to them so if I do something that hurts you they'd be very disappointed in me, and I really don't want that. Plus you're like a link back to Ron so I would actually like to get to know you better."

They continued in silence a bit while Hermione thought things over. Although what Lavender said sounded completely backwards, in a way, it still made sense somehow that she'd value her relationship with George. It was a good sign, even.

"Right, but if I tell you things you'll tell George who will tell Fred who will tell Angelina? That's half a school class already."

Lavender started laughing. "Yeah, no that would be madness. No, although you're right that I'd share stuff with George and Fred if it's something, you know, serious, that doesn't include girl stuff. You know? I think you'd say the same, if you're in a relationship with someone you would tell them if you hear that someone's having a baby or if something bad has happened, but you don't exactly share everything your friends tell you."

Hermione nodded, it was more or less what she would do as well. As she thought more about it, she figured she might as well give her former dormmate one more chance if Lavender was serious about George. "Alright, I'll give you a chance. For Ron."

She ended up talking about Severus and the way their relationship had grown since Christmas or so, skipping a lot of the juicy details and most definitely not mentioning anything that happened before then. It was nice to be able to talk about it with someone else who hadn't been so involved in her past history, Ginny sometimes seemed to struggle with how she saw Hermione and the age gap was sometimes pretty noticeable between them.

Lavender shot her a smile. "Padma has said that he's quite different now after the war, he's not as angry in class."

"Yeah, he doesn't have to favour the Slytherins just because of their fathers anymore and he doesn't have two masters pulling at him."

"Do you love him? Professor Snape?"

Hermione let out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. "Yes… Yes, I do."

"You're a brave witch, Hermione Granger," Lavender said. "But it makes sense in a way. You match. I'm glad I don't take Potions now or I wouldn't be able to focus. Think we can come visit you this summer?"

"Sure, that would be great, I'll have to work on him a bit first though to let the twins have access to his estate."

Lavender laughed. They continued the tour around the lake, talking about the future, Lavender's new business, and what to wear for the leaving feast. The Headmistress had decreed that they'd have a grand feast to celebrate the end of the year, with dancing and formal dress gowns and everything.

~x~x~x~

Hermione felt more than ready to be done with school when the NEWTs started up although she of course was struck by nerves and wailed that she'd fail everything and have to redo the past three years. Severus had taken over the final tuning of Narcissa's potion and most of the other routine work, and Hermione had a much reduced course load to take compared to what she would have had otherwise, but Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes still took a lot of energy. At least the practical parts of those exams weren't as taxing as Defence, Herbology or Astronomy, and she wouldn't have to make the trek to the Ministry for them. She had thought that she'd feel sad about leaving Hogwarts behind but now that the end was in sight she couldn't wait to get started on the next step in her life, as an adult where exams no longer mattered and where she could forge her own path ahead.

To her surprise, Lavender had actually kept her word and no whispers reached her ears about her relationship with Professor Snape. It had felt surprisingly refreshing to open up a bit to her former dormmate who was undoubtedly more experienced with relationships than Hermione was, and who saw things from a different angle than Ginny did.

After anxiously double-checking with Professor McGonagall, Draco, Septima and Lavender that she wasn't making a major social misstep, she donned her green and gold Apprentice robes for the Leaving feast and fastened both Apprenticeship pins on the lapels. She barely recognised herself in the mirror as she put on some light makeup charms and wrangled her hair into a half braid with the help of Ginny, who wore a tight floor-length turquoise shimmering dress that set off her fiery hair and natural curves.

The Hall was beautifully decorated in light colours, with gauzy fabric covering the walls, decorative tree branches with fresh green leaves in the corners and a magical vine plant climbing everywhere it could. Its flowers were white and not yet fully opened in most places, but in a few corners she could see them sparkling with a bright white light. The many candles that usually floated in the ceiling were also replaced with sparkling chandeliers that slowly rotated and moved around the room, creating an effect almost like Muggle disco balls. The Headmistress had done away with the regular tables and instead set up stations with finger food and tapas-style dishes, and round standing tables and bar stools for those that needed to rest their feet. They were served Butterbeer and several different non-alcoholic drinks, including pumpkin fizz, a sparkling apple juice and Peachtree Fizzing Tea.

It was bittersweet, to say the least, to spend one final evening together with all the students and teachers she had lived with for seven years. She chatted with Neville, Hannah, Draco, Padma, Lisa, and even with Pansy, Blaise and Theo, and with the Professors that she wouldn't see after leaving. The food was delicious and Hermione thought she'd have to compliment both the elves and the Headmaster for the choice.

Professor McGonagall called for attention once everyone had mingled for a while.

"Students of Hogwarts. The year has come to an end and a long summer lies ahead of us. For some, this is the start of a new era in your lives, as you enter the world as adults and graduates of Hogwarts. Others will return next autumn, to continue your path of learning. As you all know, it has been a year overshadowed by the end of the war against the dark forces that tried to overtake our world, and we are all affected by the loss of people near and dear to us. Still, I would like to think it has been a year of healing, where we now enter the summer in better shape than we were in at the beginning of the school year. I hope we all can agree to learn from these past events, to fight injustice and prejudice where we see it, and to learn tolerance and respect for one another. To those that will return next year, I hope you will help me and the rest of the staff shape Hogwarts into a school where everyone is welcome, regardless of House affiliation, heritage, magical strength or who their parents are. To those that will leave us for new adventures, I wish you the best of luck in your adult lives. Remember that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask, and that your Professors and I have every faith in your abilities and skills."

Everyone applauded and then Professor Flitwick's enchanted band started playing. The dance floor soon filled up with couples and Hermione got snatched up by Blaise who turned out to be a rather good dancer. She spotted Severus dancing with the Headmistress but he left the floor after the song was finished, while Hermione was asked to dance by Dean, Neville and Draco.

Severus was dressed in his formal Potions Master robes and had bound his hair back in a short queue which had caught the attention of not only Hermione but many of the other sixth- and seventh-year witches as well. He looked elegant, striking, handsome in a non-traditional way, and Hermione felt a surge of heat low in her belly when he caught her eye and sauntered up to her.

"Would you honour your Master with a waltz, Apprentice Granger?" he asked and held out his hand.

Vaguely she noticed the other students giving them space, whispering about them, as the music started up and he led her into the steps of the dance. She had eyes only for him.

Once the waltz ended the other students started applauding them as she curtsied and he bowed. Professor Vector stole him off for the next dance while Harry quickly dragged her back onto the floor.

"So, Snape, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

She blushed and swatted his arm but there wasn't much point in hiding it any longer. "Actually, yes, Snape, if you must ask."

"We're not students anymore," he said. "I think you're well matched actually."

"Thanks, Harry. Come see me this summer?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

Severus came back to her for the final dance of the night, a slow foxtrot, and she breathed in the scent of him as he led her across the floor. Harry was dancing with Tracey, Ginny with Draco, Neville and Luna were swaying in a corner. Professor Vector led Professor Sinistra in a rather wild dance across the floor, not quite matching the tempo of the music.

~x~x~x~

Although it felt rather silly Hermione took the Hogwarts Express to London while Severus Flooed to Prince Hall and Winky moved the last of their belongings to their chambers. She was Head Girl, after all, and that was the final task she had to perform for Hogwarts. It was rather nice anyway to be able to chat with everybody one last time and invite her friends to visit her at Prince Hall.

The following Monday, Hermione and Severus Apparated to Malfoy Manor with Narcissa's potion. Draco met up with them at the gates of Malfoy Manor and together they again walked up the path to the grand estate. Lucius greeted them in the drawing room near Narcissa's rooms. He looked a bit better now and was only a month or so from being released from his restrictions.

There were three different potions they'd have to give her with an hour's wait in between. The first was to relax her mind and body in a way similar to the Calming Draught but based on other ingredients such as Devil's Breath and blue passion flower. The second one would strengthen the nervous system and contained verbena, Indian snake root and St John's wort, while the final one would jolt her mind into a new state with magical angel's trumpet from Neville's experiments and some extracts of bark and mushrooms from the Forbidden Forest that the Centaurs had told Hermione about.

"Uncle, I'll do what you think is best," Draco said when they had prepared setting up for the next trial. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Granger, no matter what happens now, thanks for trying."

Severus nodded at him. "Stay if you wish. If all goes well nothing much will happen for a long time. Apprentice, are you ready?"

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded, but at this stage there wasn't much she could do about anything. They just had to perform the trial and hope it worked this time. She Levitated the tray with the potions and together they walked into Lady Malfoy's bedroom.

Severus hit Narcissa with a silencing charm when she was brought out of stasis, to preserve their minds, and Draco helped to hold her upright while Severus poured the first potion down her throat. It was a bit of a struggle since she was still screaming although they couldn't hear anything, but once she had swallowed she went limp and fell back against Draco. Hermione started a timer as Severus lifted the silencing charm, and then they settled in to wait. She tried not to fret and brought out her Arithmancy equations to double-check that they weren't making a mistake and to recalculate the dose needed based on Narcissa's bodyweight and overall status.

The second potion went down too after an hour. After a short while, Narcissa started twitching on the bed, moving her head and limbs jerkily, but she was still quiet. No one spoke as they waited. Lucius had poked his head in earlier to see how they were getting on but remained just outside the room rather than waiting inside.

Finally the hour ran out and Severus prepared the last potion while Draco stabilised his mother. As she had swallowed the last of it she seemed to seize, back spasming and eyes flaring wide open before she fell back down on the bed, limp, eyes closed. She didn't scream at least and afterwards she seemed to slip into a deep sleep.

"What now?" Hermione asked, nervous.

"Now we wait," Severus said.

The elves brought in food for them. Hermione had no appetite but ate anyway, mechanically, not wanting to upset the house-elves by refusing. Lucius joined them in the room too and was surprised to see his wife sleeping rather than being in magical stasis. Lucius and Draco alternated keeping vigil at her side, with Hermione and Severus seated a little further away. The evening turned into night with no visible change in Narcissa's status. Severus was dozing in his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, but Hermione was too nervous to rest.

Narcissa didn't wake until in the middle of the night, when Lucius and Severus was snoring in their respective chairs. Hermione was reading a Muggle detective novel while Draco busied himself with a stack of parchments. Finally some light rustling could be heard from the bed.

"Draco?" Narcissa whispered.

"Mother!" He was instantly at her side.

Severus woke up from the noise and moved next to her.

"I dreamt… I dreamt so many things, but you're here," she murmured.

"I'm here, I'm safe, Mother. As is Father. The Dark Lord is gone, the war is over."

She appeared to become agitated which had Severus hush him irritably. Lucius had woken up too and went over to his wife, holding her hand while Severus cast several diagnostic spells. Everything appeared fine, there was no more trace of the curse or her affliction.

"I'm here, Cissy, everything is fine now," Lucius told her. "You've been ill but Severus and Apprentice Granger have helped cure you."

"Severus?" she asked and looked over at him. "I thought… I thought you had hurt my son? My sister said so?"

He shook his head. "I must apologise for my deception, Narcissa. Draco is quite well, as you can see."

"And my sister?"

Lucius answered. "She's gone, Cissy."

"Ah…"

Hermione pulled back from the Malfoy family's reunion. It felt too private to share, now that they had registered all the diagnostics and everything seemed to be as it should. She was also not quite sure how much she could display in front of the Malfoys even though all she wanted to do was to hug Severus tight and never let go.

Severus walked over to her. "Well done, Apprentice." He took matters in his own hands, or arms as it were, and enfolded her in a hug. They had arranged to spend the night in Malfoy Manor in case Narcissa needed help, and to Hermione's slight embarrassment mixed with relief she saw that the elves had set them up in a suite containing one huge bed. Now that the worst of the tension and worry had lifted she felt exhausted, and almost fell asleep standing before she could crawl into bed.

They shared a late breakfast with the reunited Malfoy family the next morning. Narcissa had been told most of what happened during her illness and was very happy to have her life and family back.

"Thank you, old friend," Lucius said to Severus who bowed his head in return. "Although my official sentence isn't yet over, I feel you've pardoned me by giving me Cissy back. And you, Apprentice Granger, you have my thanks and my regard as Lord Malfoy, and you will have my support in your future plans."

"You honour me, Lord Malfoy," she answered. Although she didn't know enough about Pureblood etiquette she could still recognise the grand gesture for what it was.

"Call me Lucius, please," the blond aristocrat answered.

"Please call me Hermione, if you would. I'm most grateful to have been able to help you and Lady Malfoy. I also hope we can turn this into something that may benefit others."

"Narcissa," Narcissa interjected and smiled at her.

She was still relieved once they returned to Prince Hall. Although it had only been a few days, the estate had already begun feeling like home to her.

 ***x*x*x*x*x*x***

 **A/N:** That's at least one loose end wrapped up! Let's see if I manage to catch the rest of them in the next chapters. 2 more and an epilogue planned. Onwards!


	25. Where I Want To Be

**Where I Want To Be**

Hermione had spent the two weeks following Narcissa's cure in St Mungo's with Neville Longbottom, discussing their trial with the Longbottoms' healer who had been very interested in the results. Severus had filed the paperwork to have the cure patented, and once the paperwork had been registered they were able to trial it at the hospital too. Hermione had calculated that since the Longbottoms had been affected for such a long time they would have a greater chance of improvement if they received the first two potions several times over the course of a few weeks before starting with the third potion, and that they'd at least three rounds of treatment over several weeks, but already after the first few weeks they had started to interact more with their surroundings. It would be a gradual, slow and painful process but Severus was glad to see they might have a chance to come back. Alice, especially, had been a friend of sorts of his at Hogwarts. A few years older but someone who had nodded at him in the library and occasionally chatted with him about homework or other things, which was more than most other students did.

Meanwhile, Severus had spent his time brewing to complete the first batches of orders from St Mungo's, and on setting up processes and routines for ingredients and order handling. It only took him a week of trying to do everything himself for him to ask Aemiliana to help with the orders and invoices. She was eager for something to do during the days and had a sharp mind and a keen eye for details, and didn't want payment except for some nice sherry every now and then, stating that he'd get the Galleons back when she died anyway and that she had all she would ever need.

~x~x~x~

One sunny mid-July Sunday Severus watched Hermione pace anxiously around the Grand Hall, dressed in a yellow summer dress with white flowers. She looked rather adorable and most certainly not like someone who was trapped in a dungeon all day, chained to the cauldrons.

He was not at all sure how it had come to this. A Muggle invasion at Prince Hall. Had he actually agreed to host Hermione's parents? And her grandmother? Before he could figure out how to call off the impending assault the bell chimed in the entrance foyer, letting him know that their guests had arrived by Portkey, and Hermione squealed and ran to the doors just as Tinsel opened them to allow the three guests in. After some slightly stiff greetings Hermione led her parents and grandmother along on a tour of the building, talking all the way, while Severus trailed behind them, observing their family dynamics. Caroline Granger was tall and slender and talked a lot, switching between French and English when she addressed her daughter or her mother Adeline Wright who was sharp as a tack and seemed to enjoy putting her nose where it shouldn't go. Richard Granger seemed a little more level-headed and mainly asked questions about the design or history of the estate.

"Can we see the dungeons where you work?" her father asked with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him but after a nod from Severus they went outside and she guided them to the potions labs. Aemiliana came down to greet them at the entrance, a bit wary of Muggles at the estate of all the intolerant Prince ancestors. Still, the Grangers were impeccably polite and asked the right questions about the business and the organisation. Severus took over the tour to show what they were currently working on while the two elder ladies stood a bit off to the side, not talking, appearing to size each other up. They were rather similar in appearance, even down to their dressing style. Both of them short and wizened, with sharp eyes that didn't miss much.

After showing their guests the gardens they had a surprisingly pleasant tea on the terrace overlooking the lake. The Grangers were quick and well educated and more interested in discussing the latest research or something related to literature or history than talking about politics or the latest celebrity gossip, and they ended up comparing notes on medical innovation in the magical and Muggle communities. All in all, it was a surprisingly bearable day, and even Aemiliana seemed to enjoy the company despite them being Muggles.

As the guests readied themselves to leave, Hermione's father came to shake his hand.

"It was good to meet you, so that we can see for ourselves where Hermione will spend her days. She's an adult now but they never stop being your kids. I take it you don't have any yourself, yet?"

"Certainly not."

Richard nodded. "Well, maybe one day, eh? Anyway, I don't think it would be very effective of me to give you the standard talking-to about not hurting my daughter, but you seem a decent sort so I don't think you would, at least not on purpose. Let me just give you a piece of advice for dealing with women like Hermione and her mother. They're fond of arguing with you until you agree that up is down and blue is red but they do accept logic. Well, most of the time. Alright, sometimes. And never go to bed angry, it's better if you stay up late to be shouted at so that they get it out of their system and can forgive you for being a fool."

Severus exhaled shakily, hardly knowing what to answer. Children? That was most definitely something he had never considered, assuming that it wasn't to be for the likes of him. No, that thought would have to wait.

Richard smiled at him. It made him remarkably similar to Hermione. "Right, I've scared you enough. When you come visit us I'll make up some excuse to drag you along to my office so that we can sample my rum in peace while the women chatter."

"You have a deal, Dr Granger. I shall do likewise the next time you come here."

"It's Richard, you know."

He bowed his head. "Severus."

"That's a rather Roman name, isn't it? An emperor? Well, you seem to have what it takes to live up to it."

"The nose you mean?"

Richard chuckled. "Nah, the bearing, rather."

~x~x~x~

After some careful scouting and deliberation, weeks of planning were finally coming together in the middle of August. It had been difficult to keep it all from Hermione who had been eyeing him curiously all morning over her toast and tea, clearly sensing that something was up.

"Come, Apprentice, we are about to have guests," he said after finishing his own breakfast. Without looking to see if she followed he strode out of the building, hearing her half-indignant squeak of protest as she scurried to catch up. She was naturally asking a million questions that he promptly ignored as he rounded the corner and walked towards the newly erected greenhouse and potions garden.

"Severus, what's going on?"

"Patience," he murmured, eyes fixed on the lawn between the greenhouse and the lake.

After perhaps five minutes the air seemed to shimmer and solidify into an expanding column of white smoke. When the smoke dissipated, the lawn was full of Centaurs. About a dozen of them in all colours, ranging from foals to wizened warriors and mares, all carrying various items and equipment.

"Ember!" Hermione squealed and ran down the lawn to hug her friend. "How… What…"

"Hi Hermione, we're moving in!" Ember said and reached down for a hug.

Severus joined them at a more leisurely pace. Epona was there too, of course, she was the one who had brought everyone across. Ronan and Ambra stood next to her, supervising the others.

"Thank you for the invitation, friend Severus," Epona said.

"The pleasure is all mine," he answered. "My water is yours, my food is yours, and shelter and tools will I gladly share."

Ambra stepped up to him. "I see you, Severus of the Prince clan, Master of Potions. I will be the lead mare for the Prince Woods Centaur colony, and Ronan is my mate. I thank you for your hospitality. We will gladly share the spoils of the hunt or the forest, warn you of danger and protect your loved ones."

He bowed his head to her. "I see you, Ambra of the Prince Woods Centaurs. Please, make yourselves at home. The forest is vast and the lake is full of fish. Did Minerva send an owl with you?"

Ambra smiled and gestured towards one of the younger stallions in the group who carried two birds on his back. "Yes, we have two now, I think they'll like it with us."

"A half dozen wanted to relocate to the Forest with us," Epona said with a slight shudder. "I told them it was fine as long as they took care of themselves but I think some of our youngsters want to spend time with them. I don't quite get the charm of having owls but I suppose they will be useful for staying in touch with you."

"Certainly, Epona. I already spoke to Poppy Pomfrey regarding your medical needs and she will make sure they are met."

They walked together up towards the edge of the lawn where the elves and Aemiliana met up with them. Tinsel, Winky and Grumpy seemed to form their own bonds to the Centaurs while Aemiliana was introduced as part of Severus' clan. The elves had prepared food for all, a veritable banquet of fish, meat, vegetables and baked goods, and tables of varying heights. After some deliberation they had ended up with bar stools and high tables where the Centaurs and humans could eat and talk relatively comfortably, and soon all of them were mingling together, the foals playing in the grass and nicking fruit and cookies whenever they thought no one noticed.

Grumpy had prepared a bonfire and various magical lanterns around the clearing. One older stallion brought out a lute and started playing, another had a flute, and as the night fell they shared their traditional Centaur songs. In return, Aemiliana taught them some classical Wizarding songs which turned more and more ribald as time went on and the foals drifted off to sleep.

Hermione came up to him, beaming with happiness. She threw her arms around him and he pulled her close, smelling the herbs and forest and wood smoke in her hair. Her hair was a bushy tangled mess and she had ink stains on her arms and wore Muggle jeans and a simple cardigan and she was just right. Home was where she was.

"I love you, you know." It just bubbled out, he hadn't planned on it.

She pulled back to look up at him, large eyes reflecting the fire. "Oh! I do know. But I do like hearing you say it. I love you too, Severus Snape."

He kissed her tenderly but thoroughly, studiously ignoring the identical smirks sported by Aemiliana and Epona.

~x~x~x~

Just before the start of term at Hogwarts, Prince Hall was again invaded by a rather diverse group. Draco and Ginny arrived in the company of Harry, Tracey, Minerva and Moody. Minerva looked happier than in a long time. She had a family now, a real one if a bit unusual, and it seemed to take years of worry off her back. She filled him in on what was happening at Hogwarts, new teachers, an updated curriculum and some more changes to the House system to lessen the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin especially. Moody also appeared to be more relaxed now that he could shed the mask he had worn during the Order meetings. They'd done a lot of work in the Ministry, Amelia and him together with Kingsley and various others, to try to flush the corruption out.

They shared tea on the terrace and talk turned to what the newly graduated students would do. Apparently, Harry was taking a year off from responsibility and was joining a Quidditch team as Chaser or reserve Seeker. Tracey was joining the Ministry in a junior position at the Department of Magical Transportation, with the aim of moving to the Department of Magical Accidents later.

"So what are you planning to do now that Ginny goes back to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked Draco.

"Oh, I'm going to be a wizard of leisure for a while," the blond Slytherin said with a smirk while Ginny rolled her eyes and refilled her glass with sparkling cucumber juice, an innovation by Tinsel and Ember. "We spent a week in Brighton and I got to test windsurfing and was hooked right away."

"What's that?" Tracey asked.

Draco, Ginny and Harry offered a more or less coherent explanation which had Minerva look even more confused afterwards.

"So, anyway, I'm going abroad to learn more about it. I think Spain and Portugal first and then I'll just see where I end up," Draco concluded.

"So you're going Muggle?" Harry interjected with a smirk which caused Hermione to break down in giggles.

"Yeah, you bet," Draco said proudly. "I'll be back in the country for all Hogsmeade weekends and the school breaks to see Ginny."

~x~x~x~

As autumn started, Hermione dove into the Arithmancy side of her Apprenticeship together with Septima who had come for a meeting and estate inspection together with Minerva and Poppy. A delivery from Flourish and Blotts arrived with a crate full of books on theoretical magic, probabilistic numerology, computational curse breaking, ward analysis, potion component analysis, Bayesian statistics in Escher space and several other obscure topics. Hermione basically dove into the stack of books and didn't surface for several days.

Severus also started her on the more traditional parts of an Apprenticeship, teaching her advanced techniques, ingredients preparation and other such skills that they hadn't had much time for earlier, and she still kept up with brewing for his business. He had wanted to start researching improvements for Wolfsbane but it was hard to find the time to do so since he still had to brew and handle all the incoming orders. To his surprise, the business had gone off to a flying start with more orders incoming than he had ever expected, and so he was already planning to quit brewing some of the simpler potions with low margins.

One September morning they were surprised by a Ministry owl showing up at breakfast in their private sitting room. It hooted and nicked a piece of his toast as he untied the missive from its leg. He couldn't stop his eyebrows from rising as he read through the short notice.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, looking up from her Daily Prophet.

"Interesting," he mused and summoned a quill and a piece of parchment while the owl waited. "You remember Maurice Fowler, Hermes' Apprentice?"

She nodded. "At Christmas in the Ministry? The unhappy one with the creepy Master?"

"Well that is one way to phrase it. He wants an audience."

Two hours later the Floo activated and Tinsel accompanied the nervous-looking young man in dirty brewing robes to the drawing room where Severus waited with Hermione.

"You requested to see me, Mr Fowler," Severus began without preamble after the first greetings had been exchanged.

Mr Fowler nodded and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Master Snape. I know it's a long shot but I just couldn't… I had to try. I can't stay as Master Farnsworth's Apprentice anymore, I can't. I remember meeting you and your Apprentice in the Ministry and thought if anyone could do something it would be you."

Severus frowned at that. "What a Master does to his Apprentice is regulated in the contract and not something another Master can interfere with. If you want to appeal you should turn to the Potions Guild, Mr Fowler."

The young man nodded. "I understand that, Master Snape. I tried the Guild but they said the clause was standard and that they couldn't change it against his wishes. I'm not going back there!"

Hermione was apparently itching to talk but Severus placed a hand on her arm to allow him to speak.

"You understand that by coming to me instead, you forfeit your Apprenticeship?" Severus asked. "I will be unable to take you on as Apprentice, and other Masters will be reluctant to go against Master Farnsworth once it becomes known that you abandoned his service."

Mr Fowler nodded. "I know, Master Snape. I read the Apprenticeship contract you have with Miss Granger and understand you will only take on one. That's fine with me. But I saw in your contract that you have a clause about consent with your Apprentice? I've never heard of that before."

Severus nodded. "That is true. I would not abuse an Apprentice or employee. Tell me, Mr Fowler, what do you seek by coming here?"

Mr Fowler drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "I know I'm asking a lot of you by coming here like this, Master Snape. I'm not a Master but I'm a decent enough brewer and would be capable of taking over some of your routine brewing so that you have more time for the advanced work. You're the best Potions Master in Britain and probably all of Europe judging by what I've seen in the Potions journals and elsewhere, and that clause in the Apprenticeship contract leads me to think you won't abuse your staff and assistants either. I would like a chance to prove to you that I can be an asset to SPS Potions in whatever way you can make use of me."

Severus traced his lip with a long finger, deep in thought, before his gaze snapped to the young man. "Very well, Mr Fowler. I shall give you a chance to prove yourself. If you accept, you may stay here for a month, room and board will be provided, and during that month you will do all I ask you to pertaining to brewing or ingredient preparation. I shall assess your skill level and work ethics, and after the month is up we may discuss an employment contract. Furthermore, you will sign a binding contract to not reveal business secrets to anyone not affiliated with us. "

Mr Fowler grinned. "That is more than fair. Thank you, Master Snape. I won't let you down."

Severus nodded. "Good. I will expect you to work hard and always do your best. Making mistakes is fine, once, but not if you fail to learn from them."

Hermione followed the other two out to the labs where they showed the younger man what they were currently brewing, inspected the equipment he had brought and Severus got him started on a huge batch of Pepper-Up while Grumpy arranged a bedroom upstairs for him.

~x~x~x~

To his surprise, the young man was nice and friendly and a good worker, and after the trial month both of them were quick to sign his employment contract. He was quick to pick up the slack and good at spotting what needed to be done. Often when Severus instructed Hermione in various techniques he asked Mr Fowler to come over as well to watch. They got along fine as well, Hermione and Mr Fowler, and had quickly shed any titles between them. Aemiliana had also quickly warmed to the young wizard which was a relief if he was to stay in the business.

Gradually it made him a bit uneasy to see the easy rapport between his Apprentice and Mr Fowler. They ate lunch together and she often asked him to join Severus and her for dinner. Maurice Fowler was essentially everything that Severus had assumed Hermione wanted in a wizard as he was young, friendly and intelligent. It pained Severus to see their interactions but he still wanted to do what was best for her, to give her a good future, and so he withdrew, pulling away from their discussions. He went to bed late and rose early, didn't join her for meals, gave her potions texts to read but didn't interact much, and she proved him right by turning even more to Mr Fowler.

She finally managed to catch him reading one evening before he could sneak away and claim to have errands somewhere, anywhere else. She padded in to his office and sat down in the spare chair he had by his desk.

"Severus?"

He didn't look up from his book. "Yes?"

"Do you want me to withdraw as your Apprentice?"

That got his attention. He frowned at her. "Is that what you wish?"

"No! It's just… do you want Maurice as your Apprentice instead?" She was fidgeting, biting her lip, arms crossed in front of her.

"Whyever would I want that?" After all, she had that completely backwards.

"It's just… you work so well together with him and you've become all distant lately and I'm worried you don't want me anymore," she blurted out. She rose from her chair and seemed ready to bolt from the room.

Fire and hope was igniting in his belly. "Oh, little witch, you have that exactly backwards," he said and finally moved to her, taking her into his arms. "I do want you, now and forevermore. I thought you had fallen for him, you seem to be so comfortable in his presence."

"What, no! Only you, Severus. You're my mate, remember?" she said, pulling his head down for a kiss, her body melding into his, closer, closer still.

"Mine," he murmured.

She nodded. "Mine," she agreed and kissed the corner of his mouth before apparently thinking of something. She pulled back slightly and fixed him with what passed for a stern glare. "Severus, this is the second time you have ended up in a snit over thinking that I'd want some other wizard instead of you. Can you promise me not to do that again? I really can't take it when you withdraw from me like that."

He sought her mouth again and kissed her, greedily, deeply, desperately. "I am sorry, Hermione. You know that what we share has already exceeded the extent of what passed for my prior relationships. I will talk to you if it happens again instead of just assuming." One of his hands clutched her head while the other pulled her as tight to him as he could. He was already hard, he could feel the heat of her stomach on his cock.

"Bed, Severus," she managed to gasp. In response, he Apparated them both into their bedroom and deposited her on the bed in one fluid motion. "Need you, now," was all she managed while Banishing his clothes, not caring one bit where they ended up. He was just as eager as she seemed, and soon her clothes disappeared and he nudged her knees apart, settling between her legs. Not until he entered her, filling her, did the craving finally settle, and then he kissed her and set a fast pace, thrusting into her, driving her higher and higher until her orgasm shook her which in turn caused him to come hard, grimacing until he collapsed on top of her and kissed her forehead, gently, before rolling off her and pulling her close to his side as they slowly returned to themselves.

"I love you," she whispered, laying her head on his pectoral muscle. She fit just right against the crook of his arm.

"Marry me," he said, looking down at her. His inner Slytherin seemed to do a facepalm and muttered something about his impulsiveness being the death of him.

"What?" She scooted back a bit to better see him and he did the same, rolling over to his side facing her.

"This was not exactly how I had planned it but, Hermione, I love you. I don't ever wish you to leave my side, my bed, my home. I want to live the rest of my days with you, start a family with you some day if you are amenable. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"Are you really serious? Yes of course you are, you're you. Yes, Severus, I'll marry you. Can I finish the Apprenticeship first though?"

He chuckled and kissed her again. "Of course, little witch. I had planned to wait to ask you until you were done but evidently that was not to be."

She rolled on top of him, crossing her arms on his chest and resting her head on them. "You promise to talk to me next time you're upset about something?"

"On my honour and my magic, Hermione Granger. Will you do the same?"

She nodded and smiled at him. "I love you, have I mentioned that already?"

"Once or twice but you may tell me as often as you wish," he said while seeking her mouth out for another kiss.

"How generous of you," she said and squealed when he kissed that spot on her neck.

They didn't fall asleep for a long time, having to make up for lost opportunities over the past few weeks.


	26. Sunshine And Rainbows

**Sunshine And Rainbows**

It had been odd to start the Apprenticeship while still at Hogwarts and also to start by brewing and researching such a complex potion as the Mnemosyne Potion which was what they had named Narcissa's cure. Severus had insisted that she take some time off afterwards, spending time with friends and family instead of reading and brewing all the time, but she couldn't stop herself from helping him when he was too bogged down with brewing orders for the business. It had been nice to dive into the Arithmancy side too with Septima. The first year would be spent on learning more advanced techniques so that she could select a field to do a research project in after that. She soon settled into a routine with Arithmancy three days a week and the rest of the time for Potions.

She felt as if she'd learned more in a month with him than she had in a year at Hogwarts. Simply watching him brew was mesmerising, and having the opportunity to learn from him directly was even better. She studied advanced brewing techniques, learned to prepare ingredients, and how to brew and improve potions based on intuition alone rather than relying on a recipe. They'd gone hiking for a week in August to collect a batch of ingredients and he showed her good harvesting spots all over the country.

Maurice joining the business had upset the balance a bit between them but after they'd managed to clear the air she felt closer to Severus than she ever had. Waking up in the Lord's suite every morning, next to him, felt so incredibly right. She looked down on her hand where a sparkling diamond and platinum ring now sat on her ring finger. It had been his grandmother's, apparently, a gift from Aemiliana once she heard of their engagement.

Speaking of Aemiliana, Hermione was amazed by how quickly her own grandmother and Severus' remaining relative had taken to each other's company. The two old ladies had become thick as thieves, with Aemiliana inviting Adeline over for tea regularly without even bothering to involve Hermione. Both of them appeared to prosper from their improbable friendship, and Hermione reflected somewhat guiltily that they must have been rather lonely before.

She stayed in touch with Harry, assorted Weasleys, Lavender and a few others from her time at Hogwarts. Since she had to go back there occasionally to meet with Septima or to deliver potions for Poppy it was easy to go visit Neville for a while in the greenhouses, or to catch up with Ginny and Luna while she was at it. Lavender visited Prince Hall occasionally with the twins, Parvati and Padma, catching up on gossip with Hermione while the others talked business with Severus since he'd agreed to help them out with some consulting for new products. As for Harry, he was happier than she'd seen him in a long time. He had gained a family of his own that had claimed him because they wanted him, not out of guilt or obligation; he was happy with Tracey and with Quidditch but had to Hermione's surprise cut the contract short and was about to enter Auror training in January.

The Malfoy couple had visited once Narcissa had recovered and Lucius' sentence had ended, and Severus and Hermione had also been invited to dinner at the Manor a few times. She didn't begrudge Severus his friendship with the couple but occasionally felt left out when Severus and Lucius got into the brandy and the inside jokes and insinuations became too hard to follow. Still, Narcissa made an effort to be nice to her and sometimes Draco was present too which kept the discussion less anchored in their past. To Hermione's astonishment, the young blond Slytherin had made it firmly into the "friend" camp, and it seemed the feeling was mutual.

~x~x~x~

December was upon them and the elves had busied themselves with preparing for Christmas. Grumpy had brought in a huge Christmas tree to the Grand Hall which Hermione, Tinsel and Winky decorated with lots of glitter, candles and magical trinkets. In fact, the whole estate glittered after Winky had gone slightly overboard with the household spells. Severus grumbled about it but Hermione laughed and asked him to leave it in place, bribing him with a kiss.

Christmas Eve arrived with a cold spell that turned the tree branches white with frost in the early morning. Hermione and Severus had bundled up in thick winter robes to go visit the Centaurs, bringing some candied apples, a barrel of cider and gifts for the herd which was larger now than when they had first arrived. Other Centaurs had joined them from other colonies across the isles, mainly young adults who hadn't yet found their proper mate, but Ambra and Ronan were still undisputed leaders of the Prince Woods colony.

Ember and Finnuala squealed and pounced on her as soon as they entered the camp, while Ronan came over to greet both of them.

"I see you, Severus and Hermione," the stallion said with a smile. "Welcome to our hearth."

"I see you, Ronan," Severus replied with a slight bow. "I hope all is well with you. We brought some apples in various forms."

They were invited to sit by the fires with a mug of mulled Centaur mead, and soon they were deep in discussion with various members of the clan. Severus put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, and she happily snuggled in half under his cloak. She fell quiet, content with watching the fires and the various activities the Centaurs were busy with around the camp, the two humans accepted into the herd as some kind of honorary Centaurs.

Ember walked up to them again, looking a little nervous, flanked by Ronan and Ambra. Severus must have sensed something that caused him to rise to his feet, pulling Hermione up with him so that they faced the trio.

"Severus of the Prince Clan, Master of Potions," Ember began, "I come to you with a request and an offer, should you accept."

"I hear you, Ember of the Prince Woods Centaurs," Severus responded.

Ember swished her tail but her ears flicked forward, showing curiosity. "I have searched for my path among our colony and the stars, and not until we arrived here did I see a trace of it. You have on your lands a garden full of plants that you grow for your Potions, with herbs and exotic sorts that come from far away. I would like to learn about your ways. The wild plants in the forest I know, but you have other uses for them, ways to coax magic from their essence, that I want to learn and combine with our ways. Would you accept me, Severus Master of Potions?"

Severus bowed his head and seemed to think about it. Hermione was unsure of what exactly Ember was asking, what did Centaurs do to learn whatever they specialised in? Finally he looked up at the young mare.

"Ember daughter of Ambra, of the Prince Woods Centaurs, as you well know this is the first time in our mutual history that a Centaur has come to a wizard requesting knowledge. I am deeply honoured that you choose to ask me. That said, I am no master in Herbology. Still, I presume you know that already so my answer shall simply be yes. I will teach you what I can, and facilitate for you to get in touch with others that may teach you more if I am able, so that you may find what you seek."

Ember smiled and went down on her front knees, bringing her down to Severus' level. "I thank you, Severus of the Prince Clan. I will care for your gardens and ingredients, and share with you what knowledge I can offer of the plants of the forest and elsewhere."

Ambra brought a goblet to them, offering it first to Severus who drank from it before handing it to Hermione.

"You are also part of this circle, Hermione," he told her quietly. Ambra nodded.

The greenish fluid in the goblet steamed in the cold winter air, but it smelled nicely of herbs and something fresh. Hesitantly she raised it and took a sip. It tasted of summer, of promises and joyous exploration, of a long future together. She handed the goblet to Ember who smiled at her and drank before the goblet was passed back to Ambra who also took a sip, sealing the pact.

They stayed another hour or so with the Centaurs before returning to the Hall via the Potions lab. Everything was in order for the holidays, all orders were sorted and unless an emergency request came through they wouldn't have to work until the beginning of January. Maurice had already left, he was staying with his family for a few days, and Hermione suspected he'd be off seeing Padma as well since the two of them seemed en route to becoming quite close.

~x~x~x~

Hermione had always loved Christmas but this year was something special. Her first Christmas away from school and her childhood home, her first year with Severus, her first year in their lovely home, hosting friends and family. She'd felt all grown-up when decorating the tree with the elves, wrapping gifts for her friends and family (and Severus!) to put under said tree, planning the menu with Tinsel. Severus had grumbled a bit about the whole thing which had Hermione confused until she considered that he probably hadn't had many happy holidays in his past, either in his childhood home or at Hogwarts. She had asked him if there was anything his mother had done for Christmas that he had liked, and after much prodding he had admitted that she used to make a special Christmas cake, to be served with a mature crumbly cheese if they had money. With the help of Aemiliana Hermione had immediately set about making one for him which had brightened his mood considerably. Aemiliana had also brought up some Christmas ornaments the Princes used to have in the Hall when Eileen grew up there, including a set of sparkly snowflake ornaments Eileen and Aemiliana had crafted together when Eileen was about ten.

Christmas morning dawned and to her surprise she woke up before Severus did which usually never happened. He lay on his back next to her, an arm slung over his head, the blanket having slid down a little to show his bare chest with the patch of dark hair at his sternum. He looked peaceful, and certainly a lot younger than during his teaching days. She couldn't help but to compare their situation now to the war years when she'd been busy trying to learn everything while keeping Ron and Harry alive and he'd had to balance the insanity of two masters and countless unpleasant tasks including trying to keep dunderheads from attempting murder-suicide by cauldron.

She squeaked when his hand snaked out towards her, pulling her close, as one of his eyes cracked open.

"Can a wizard not sleep in peace even on Christmas?" he grumbled. "Your thoughts are too loud for this early in the morning."

"Happy Christmas to you too, dear," she said and kissed his cheek, burrowing closer to his deliciously naked body. They had discarded nightwear since moving into the Hall since it was not as cold and damp as his dungeon quarters.

"If you say so," he replied.

Tinsel served them breakfast in their sitting room and they exchanged gifts there since Hermione wanted to have a moment for themselves without the other guests. Severus got her a golden necklace with an emerald pendant in the shape of a swirling Celtic knot, a couple of books she'd been eyeing and a lingerie set in deep green, which had her blush profusely when she revealed it, to his amusement. In return, she gave him a couple of books, a set of black leather gloves from Madam Malkin's and a scarf that she'd knitted in secret, in black too with emerald and silver vine patterns, imbued with a long-lasting warming charm.

The Grangers were first to arrive, via Portkey. This year they had only invited Hermione's parents and grandmother, not her aunt who didn't know of the Wizarding world. Severus had made sure there was an accessible route from the nearest town to the Hall for Muggles, but Portkey was easier than driving or taking the train. Hermione hugged her parents and showed them their room for the holidays, Adeline would stay in one of Aemiliana's spare bedrooms in the cottage.

Tinsel announced the arrival of more guests via Floo. Minerva, Alastor and Harry joined them in the Grand Hall and greetings were exchanged while Winky plied all of them with champagne, mulled cider and lots of finger food of various kinds. The elves had enjoyed having a whole household to cook for, and had brought out all their ideas. Hermione had had to veto a few of the more outrageous ideas but was still happy that they were enjoying themselves.

Draco and Ginny were next to arrive. The youngest Weasley would head back to the Burrow later in the evening but as the situation with Molly Weasley and Draco wasn't completely resolved and she wanted to spend Christmas with her boyfriend, she had opted to join them for a bit. Draco was sporting a deep tan after half a year of surfing and diving in the Caribbean and was planning to take Ginny off to a beach somewhere remote for her Christmas break after she'd made the necessary visits to friends and family.

Last to arrive was the elder Malfoy couple. Severus had been rather surprised when Hermione extended an invitation to them for Christmas, and even more surprised when Narcissa had accepted despite the fact that there would be Muggles present. Draco had insisted on coming to Prince Hall for Christmas, stating that he refused to spend another sad holiday at the Manor when there were other options, and so Narcissa and eventually also Lucius had agreed to come.

She took a deep breath and went to greet them, before introducing them to her parents. Once the first formalities were sorted out and everyone was ushered into the Grand Hall with a glass of champagne, Adeline managed to break the ice by pulling Lucius into a detailed discussion on French vineyards and various champagne districts, and soon everyone was chatting and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

They relocated to the upper sitting room after dinner, for the gift exchange and to continue the evening in a less formal setting. Hermione sat next to Severus in the large blue velvet couch, a glass of champagne in her hand, as her friends and family talked in various constellations. She was amused to see Lucius deep in conversation with her father, while Alastor, Minerva and Harry discussed something that had at least Harry and her mother laughing at times. Aemiliana and Adeline were chatting with Narcissa who looked happier than Hermione could recall ever seeing her.

"Happy Christmas, love," she said to Severus and placed a kiss on his cheek. He grunted in assent and pulled her closer to him.

"Indeed," he murmured.

As their guests —all but the Grangers — rose to leave, Lucius made his way over to Hermione in the foyer.

"My thanks, Hermione, for inviting us to celebrate Christmas with you. It's been a remarkably stress-free holiday compared to the past few years." He sketched a bow at her and took her hand to ghost a kiss over her knuckles.

Hermione smiled but winced inwardly as she considered just how the Malfoys had spent the last couple of Christmas breaks. "Thank you, Lucius. I'm happy that you agreed to come and hope we can make it into a tradition. We've come a long way, all of us, haven't we?"

Lucius smiled at her. "Yes we have, but the road was longer for some of us than for others."

~x~x~x~

It didn't take long for Grumpy and Winky to become rather close. One evening towards the end of February when Hermione and Severus had just finished a decanting a cauldron of Improved Skele-Gro for St Mungo's and the Hogwarts infirmary, the two elves popped in and looked unusually nervous.

"Yes?" Severus asked, not taking his eyes off the bottles as he finished the labelling and Hermione put them into crates for delivery. Maurice had the day off and was out with friends somewhere.

"Um, Master, Winky wonders if Winky and Grumpy can has Master's permission to make an elfling," the female elf asked while wringing her ears.

Severus stilled. Hermione didn't know what to think about the odd request but then again they weren't her elves to worry about.

"Winky, is Grumpy your chosen mate? Grumpy, is Winky your chosen mate? Is this what you want, both of you?"

"Yes, Master," Winky squeaked. Grumpy nodded and grunted, true to his name.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose before exhaling sharply and looking up at his elves. "Very well then. You may have one litter, max three elflings. And Winky, I expect you to tell me if you need anything such as potions or assistance with something. That's an order. Grumpy, the same goes for you. If Winky needs my help and doesn't ask me herself you must tell me. Understood?"

"Yes, Master!" Winky squeaked and disappeared with an exuberant pop. Grumpy bowed deferentially, flapped his ears at them and disappeared after his mate.

Hermione had finished crating the potions that were to be delivered by the owls. The conversation had confused her, she felt as if she was missing something.

"What was that about?" she finally asked.

Severus looked up from the invoice he was finishing. "The elves?"

"Yes, why did they ask for your permission to have babies? That sounds horribly intrusive."

He nodded slowly "If you send those crates off with the owls I shall close the rest of the lab down for the evening and we can talk over supper."

Once they were settled with a nice quiche and salad, Severus took up the subject again.

"Elves can control their own fertility and decide when and how many babies they will have. When the elves first entered into this servitude to Wizardkind they were able to breed freely, in a similar way to when they lived in the wild. However, paradoxically, that almost led to their extinction as they tried to birth too many elflings at once or had new litters too soon after the first one, leading to the deaths of either the mother or the elflings due to malnutrition or a lack of care. For some reason they were unable to regulate their breeding rate to something they could actually live with. If I recall the histories correctly it might have been because they used to be solitary in the wild but now they suddenly lived together with other elves, so they had more opportunities to breed. Not until the wizards compelled the elves to ask for permission first did they recover, and at some later stage the elves themselves modified their minds so that most of them never worry about breeding. It takes a special set of circumstances to trigger it which is partly why elves are still rare outside rich Pureblood circles."

Hermione finished her quiche, thinking. It sounded both logical and completely alien. "How weird, that we control them having a family."

He nodded and poured some more wine for her. "Winky will now essentially be gone for a year, and both Tinsel and Grumpy will need to care for her quite a lot. She'll build a nest somewhere and stay there for the pregnancy which lasts for about five months, and then afterwards as well when the elflings are small. They reach adult body size in about two years but are not properly trained until they are around five. Not until then will they start formal service to their Master, or move elsewhere if they so choose to serve another family. I told her those limits as you never want more elflings than grown elves on the property and also so that she will have some time to recover before she tries to start another litter."

They sat in silence, Tinsel had removed their plates and set up their customary tea service. Hermione felt odd, somehow, and couldn't stop thinking about the elves. Her thoughts kept skittering in all kinds of directions.

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want children?"

He looked surprised at first, eyebrows shooting up, and then his eyes caught hers, dark, intense. "Honestly, I never thought to end up in a position where that was even a remote possibility. No witch could possibly be crazy enough to voluntarily carry my offspring, and then there was my own history with my abusive father and utterly miserable upbringing. But now I find a lovely witch in my arms every night, I have somehow ended up in a huge home and with a business that appears to be doing rather well, and perhaps that idea is less absurd than it used to be."

"Is that your way of saying you might want a child?" she asked.

"Hermione, I would never push you to bear a child unless you wanted to. If you don't want any, that is fine with me. If you want a dozen, I will accept it as long as we put them in a padded room where they don't get to destroy my books. No more than a dozen, however, and that is final."

Somehow she ended up sitting across his lap, kissing him, threading hands through his hair. "That's not what I asked. Do _you_ want children, Severus? For the record, I think you'd be a great father."

He went still and then looked her straight in the eyes, appearing more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him before. "Yes, Hermione," he said quietly. "I should like that, with you. One day, when the time is right."

She kissed him again. "I love you, you know that? I want that too, when I'm done with the Apprenticeships and a bit more settled. Maybe two or three, this place is too big for an only child. "

Suddenly he stood up and swooped her up into his arms. "You are too good to me, Hermione. Might I entice you to practice?"

"What- Oh! Yes, Severus," she said breathlessly and kissed him again before he Apparated the two of them to the bedroom where they fell onto the bed in a rather messy heap.

After almost a year together in Prince Hall, sleeping in his bed and being able to do pretty much whatever they wanted in the whole house, she had a pretty good idea of what he enjoyed. She still couldn't get enough of him, his body close to hers, his arms around her, his lips and talented tongue and those long nimble fingers, not to talk of his cock which still felt insanely good inside her. He made short work of her clothes and latched onto a nipple, causing her to groan as the heat surged even more in her belly. She clamped her legs around his waist and rolled them around on the mattress so that she ended up straddling his stomach. He smirked at her, his lips wet and flushed from kissing, his hair in disarray. He looked rather irresistible. She made short work of his shirt with a wave of her hand, and the rest of his clothes went the same way. She put her hands on his shoulders to keep him from wriggling as she studied her handiwork.

"Witch, you drive me insane," he muttered which earned him a thorough kiss.

"Do you remember our first meeting, Severus?" she asked and moved lower, trailing kisses along his cheek, his neck and collarbone. "I couldn't believe you'd ask me to strip for you, just like that. I was so turned on by it and by your reactions, it was completely insane."

"Of course I remember," he said and stroked her hair, looking down at her. "How could I ever forget the sight of you nearly naked in my quarters, or that absolutely perfect blowjob or the way you trusted me to make you come?"

"I'm so happy that you did ask," she said and quickly hopped off his stomach so that she could dock her mouth to his cock again, making him hiss with pleasure. In retaliation he grasped her leg and pulled her over his face, making her gasp in return when his tongue parted her folds and homed in on her clit. He snaked a hand in under her and pushed a finger up her channel, setting a rhythm that quickly had her lose track of what she was trying to do on her end. She tried to set a steady rhythm matching his, and when she hollowed her cheeks and sucked hard she was rewarded by his bucking hips and a hissed exclamation which had her feeling rather smug. In retaliation he added another finger to join the first in her snatch, snaked his other hand around her thigh and had her squeal in surprise as his finger started inching towards her bum while he whispered a lubrication spell. She nearly bucked off the bed when he massaged her butthole and her orgasm took her by surprise when he inserted the tip of a finger.

When she gradually came back down to earth again she slipped off him and moved up to kiss him again.

"Gods, Severus," she said which had him smirk in a very satisfied way.

"Mine," he murmured against her cheek and rolled her over on her back before kissing her insistently.

"Yes. Mine," she said in return and wrapped a leg around the back of his thighs, urging him closer. The tip of his erection rubbed her sensitive flesh and he was soon slick with her juices. She wriggled under him to get him in position and then impaled herself on his ample cock by pushing him in with her legs around his arse. The sudden change had both of them groaning with pleasure before he started moving, setting a determined pace. Soon tension was building again in her core at the rhythmic movement of him above her, his pelvic bone grinding into hers putting pressure on her clit, and as she came undone again with a muffled cry she felt him go rigid and follow her into that state of rapture.

She wrapped arms and legs around his sweaty body once they had both stilled, refusing to let him go.

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" he asked and kissed her forehead.

"You might have," she told him. "I love you, Severus."

 **-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N:** I have one epilogue planned but otherwise this is the end of the journey! Trying to wrap up all the loose ends, and a few that you didn't know were loose! So there. A big thanks to everyone that has followed, fav'd and commented on this fic!


	27. Epilogue - Only To Be With You

**Epilogue: Only To Be With You**

Severus sat on the terrace overlooking the gardens, a stack of parchments and ledgers on the table in front of him. The early June afternoon was warm and sunny, with vibrant flowers on trees and bushes and the hum of bees in the garden.

He looked up from his paperwork at the sound of running feet and was greeted by his dark-haired son. Septimus was five and a half, a happy and inquisitive boy who could often be found with Ember in the Potions garden, or asking Maurice a million questions in his office. He had Severus' looks and colours, but seemed to have inherited Hermione's personality and her tendency to ask at least a thousand questions a minute.

"Da, can I go to Ember in the gardens? Please?" his son asked pleadingly.

"As long as you don't get in her way and ensure that you are helpful," he admonished and pulled his boy in for a hug before releasing him. Septimus smiled and ran off to join the Centaur who had shown an aptitude for Herbology early on and taken over managing the Potions garden. She'd also been the first Centaur accepted as a registered apprentice, under Pomona Sprout, and her thesis on the healing uses of plants usually overlooked by human gardeners was widely cited in the magical community.

Business had been going quite well over the past decade, well enough for him to hire five more people for brewing and administrative duties. Maurice had stayed with them and turned out to have a good eye for the business side of things, leaving Severus more time for the research that he enjoyed the most. His biggest success so far after the Mnemosyne Potion for Narcissa had been the improved Wolfsbane potion which was stable enough to be stored for a month, allowing more werewolves access to it since not many of them had access to a Potions Master to brew it for them fresh each month.

Maurice had never been able to get his Mastery but claimed he wasn't too upset about it, and together with Hermione and some other disgruntled Apprentices they'd actually made the Guild instate a consent claim on all, erm, extracurricular activities between a Master and their Apprentice.

His wife was mainly busy at the Ministry these days, working with Amelia at the Department of Mysteries on wards and advanced Arithmancy. She was also doing something obscure at the Department for Magical Creatures, advocating for her Centaur friends and for house elves and all the other beings that happened to tug her heartstrings. They'd married as soon as she was done with the Apprenticeship, in a small and rather intimate ceremony on the lawn of Prince Hall with friends and Hermione's family present. She still helped him with the business, especially on Arithmancy calculations for new inventions, but she didn't have to brew Pepper-Up anymore. Severus had done some consulting work for Amelia but had declined the offer of employment. Still, she brought some interesting puzzles for both of them to tinker with, and she paid reasonably well.

Aemiliana had died the previous summer and was buried on the grounds near the cottage she'd stayed in. She had made some kind of unholy alliance with Hermione's grandmother who had moved in with her shortly after their first Christmas at Prince Hall, to the benefit of all save perhaps Hermione when the two elder ladies drove her to distraction. Adeline had died three years ago, at the respectable age of ninety-three, but had at least met her two great-grandchildren although Sophia had only been a few months old at the time.

Finally he was done with the ledgers and Banished the paperwork back to the Potions office. The interior of Prince Hall was always changing, at the hands of the elves, his wife and the children, adjusting as their needs changed. As he looked out over the Grand Hall from upstairs he marvelled at the fact that this was _his_ , somehow — the estate, a family, a successful business.

Footsteps from the foyer below alerted him to his wife's arrival by Floo from the Ministry. By their rapid pace he could deduce that she was still stressed and thinking about work, and decided to do something about that. A quick summons later and Tinsel was happy to be of service, promising to make them both proud. She quickly located him upstairs and made her way up the staircase.

"Wife," he murmured and embraced her, tracing her cheek with his lips. Ten years on and she was even more beautiful in his eyes. She raised her arms to encircle his neck while tilting her head up, demanding a kiss. He complied with perhaps a bit more intensity than she'd counted on, claiming her mouth for himself.

She broke free somewhat reluctantly and smiled up at him. "Husband."

"Indeed."

She sighed and nestled in closer, resting her cheek against his shoulder, her forehead by his cheek. "We should collect the children and feed them, and I need to send off an owl to Amelia again, and Kingsley talked about some meeting in Vienna."

"Hermione, breathe," he chided and steered her towards their quarters. "Septimus is out with Ember and last I saw Sophia she was … _helping_ Winky in the kitchens. They will survive. The children, undoubtedly. The others I am less sure of."

Hermione laughed and he could feel her relaxing in his arms. "Is that so? Should we celebrate?"

"We should indeed. Grumpy sent us some fresh strawberries from the garden and I believe one of your grandmother's bottles of champagne needs some emergency rescuing before it goes bad."

"Oh, how so?"

He smirked and frogmarched her towards their chambers and the huge bathtub they didn't often have occasion to share these days, what with work and other commitments. She gasped when she saw the dimmed lights, the full bath with fragrant oils, and the open bottle in a cooler with two glasses beside it, plus strawberries and melted chocolate.

"See? The bottle is opened. Whatever should we do, wife? It will spoil if left in such a state."

Hermione laughed at that. He felt his heart swell again at the sound. A decade by her side already, with hopefully many more to come. How had someone like him managed to catch the eye of someone like her? Nonetheless, he was immensely grateful for it as he didn't think very many women could meet his irritable snarkiness with an equal measure of hotheaded stubbornness, nor keep his interest with a quick mind and a voracious appetite for learning.

A whispered spell later and she was summarily undressed which caused her to quickly jump into the tub. He undressed and joined her, the bathtub was large enough for them to comfortably sit side by side while a charmed tray held the strawberries and drinks. She was about to say something but he silenced her with a chocolate-dipped strawberry and a flute of champagne.

"I love you, Severus," she said and turned to kiss him. She tasted of chocolate and strawberries and home.

"And I you, as you well know."

She fed him a strawberry in return and whatever Hermione had planned to do with the evening got summarily dismissed in favour of more pleasurable pursuits.

Yes, he truly was happy.

 **-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-**

 **A/N:** thanks everyone for following, fav'ing and commenting on this fic! This is the end of the road for this story, finally.


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